
Business Research Guide
- Find Background Info
- Find Books and Films
- Find Articles
- Find Data
- Citing Sources
Find Background Info
Background sources, such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries, are an essential piece of the research process. They can help you:
- Gather information about your topic and understand the scope of the research.
- Locate reliable sources and clarify keywords.
- Pinpoint important authors, texts, ideas, and key words about the research area—knowing what the primary phrases and concepts are will help you a lot as you are searching library databases and online sources.
Business Collection
A comprehensive business resource for the undergraduate researcher seeking company news or personal investment decisions. Business Collection provides full-text coverage of all business disciplines including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management and strategy, as well as business theory and practice.
Credo Reference
Credo Reference is multi-publisher collection of high-quality reference titles covering everything from the arts to astronomy, law to literature, and science to Shakespeare. The collection currently contains over 162 titles taken from 36 different reference publishers and more titles are being added. Available titles also include a range of multimedia options including thousands of high-quality diagrams, photographs, maps, and audio files.
Business, Finance and Economics Books in Credo
Small Business Reference Center
Small Business Reference Center features small business reference books, as well as the necessary tools and instructions to address a wide-range of small business topics. In addition, it provides business videos, a help and advice section, and information on how to create business plans.
Find Books and Films
Print and e-books are valuable sources for academic research. They will help you gain an overview of your topic and often contain in-depth information about the scholarship or history of research on a subject. Some books are written by single authors, while others include essays or chapters by multiple scholars within a discipline. Don’t let the length of books intimidate you because you don’t need to read them from cover to cover. Look at the table of contents and index to find the sections that are relevant to your work.
Find Books Using GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other materials available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases. To get started, search by keyword or type in the title of a book here:
Academic Videos Online (AVON)
AVON provides unlimited access to a comprehensive selection of videos curated for the educational experience.
WorldCat
WorldCat lets you search for books, articles, videos, and other material that are available in libraries worldwide. If you are doing in-depth research on a topic and are considering requesting resources through Interlibrary Loan, WorldCat can help you discover resources that might not be in the Giovale Library collection.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan is a service where patrons of one library can borrow books and other materials, and access journal articles that are owned by another library.
Explore Interlibrary Loan Materials
Utah Academic Library Consortium
Giovale Library participates in the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC) and Westminster College students have reciprocal circulation privileges at UALC partner libraries. Each UALC library has different circulation policies, but all require a current, valid, legal photo identification and proof of current enrollment at Westminster. Some libraries may also require other verification methods, so it is recommended that you contact the library you are interested in for details.
Popular Titles and Featured Texts

A Contemporary Look at Business Ethics

Social Entrepreneurship : Working Towards Greater Inclusiveness

Qualitative Research in Business : A Practical Overview

Quantum Leadership : New Consciousness in Business
Find Articles
The Giovale Library provides access to a number of subject databases that you can use to find journal articles on topics within a specific discipline or field of study. The databases listed on this page are those that are most useful for finding research published in the field of business.
GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other material available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases.
ABI/INFORM Collection
ABI/INFORM Collection features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as The Economist and Sloan Management Review, country-and industry-focused reports, and major news sources like the Wall Street Journal. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.
Business Source Premier
Business Source Premier features full text journal articles on business, management, economics, banking, finance, accounting and much more. This resource contains popular business publications such as Business Week, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review, and hundreds of scholarly, peer reviewed journals.
Find Data
If you’re searching for public company financials or specific industry information, try the resources below. For private company financials or information, try searching ABI/INFORM Collection and Business Source Premier to piece together company financials; private companies do not have to report their financials and therefore it is rare to find private company financials in one report.
ABI/INFORM Collection
In addition to journal articles, ABI/INFORM Collection also provides researchers with up to date company and industry information. Insider Tip: for company information enter the name of the company in the “Company/organization:” field or select “Look up Companies/organizations” -- for industry information enter your industry keywords in the main search box and select “Industry Report” from the “Document Type” field.
MarketLine Company Profiles
MarketLine Company Profiles is an add on to our Business Source Premier database that features company profiles for public companies and some private companies. Insider Tip: many of the company profiles include a SWOT analysis.
Search MarketLine Company Profiles
Mergent Intellect
Mergent Intellect features detailed, accurate and comprehensive global company and industry information. Insider Tip: use the company tab or industry tab to find respective information.
Citing Sources
Citation Resources
Properly citing your sources shows that you’ve done research to become knowledgeable about your topic and helps you avoid plagiarism. Explore citation resources to learn how to correctly cite sources based on style.
Need help with your research?
Get in touch with:

Reese Julian
Liaison Librarian for Business
801.832.2256
rjulian@westminstercollege.edu
Librarians are happy to answer questions via email, phone, or in-person.
Contact Reese with a question or to schedule a research help appointment.
Faculty: Contact Reese to suggest edits to this research guide.
Chat with a Librarian
Use the chat box below to ask the library staff a question. If chat is unavailable or we don’t respond quickly, please use the email form on our Get Research Help page and a library staff member will contact you as soon as we are available.