Use our Tough Stuff guide to help you cite difficult business sources!
REMEMBER! Business research is different from other disciplines--it has many facets and you will need to use several resources to get a complete picture. There is no "magic database" that will have everything you need in one place.
Most business research requires both primary and secondary research.
Primary research is new research, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups.
Secondary research makes use of information previously researched for other purposes & publicly available. Market research reports, articles, demographics--any information NOT INITIALLY COLLECTED by you. Library resources are secondary research.
Read "The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Research" (The Balance: Small Business) for more information.
Factiva provides the full text of newspapers from around the world in addition to Canadian and American newspapers, Dow Jones & Reuters newswires, business journals, market research reports, analyst reports and web sites. Factiva also provides American congressional committee hearings, publications of selected U.S. government departments and agencies, The Federal Register and state laws and regulations, publications of U.S. government watchdog organizations, and selected international government publications.
A comprehensive database of deal information (M&A, IPO, private equity and venture capital deals), with pan-European transactions dating back to 1997 and US deals from 2001, including integrated links to detailed financial company information.