Pfeiffer Library: Writing a Business Plan: Search Options

Find Library Materials

Are you looking for a specific database? Try our A to Z list.

Library Databases

These library provided databases are your best bets in industry research! Again, make sure you know your university credentials to utilize these resources off-campus.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Full-text coverage plus indexing and abstracts for the most important scholarly business journals, including Harvard Business Review.
Regional Business News This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text articles from regional business journals, newspapers and newswires from all areas in the U.S.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis®—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.

These library provided databases are your best bets in company research! Again, make sure you know your university credentials to utilize these resources off-campus.

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Provides business information, including financial reports, company news and securities data. Contains company data and annual reports for both U.S. and international companies. U.S. company data includes SEC (EDGAR) filings.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
At the top of the database, click "Company Information" to find more about executives, financials, employees, etc.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis®—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.

These library provided databases are your best bets in market research! Again, make sure you know your university credentials to utilize these resources off-campus.

Sage Data This link opens in a new window
A data download and visualization tool hosting social science data about U.S. states, counties, cities, and metropolitan statistical areas from more than 150 different government and nongovernment sources.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Quantitative facts of American history.
Cambridge Historical via OhioLINK

Web Resources

These free web resources may also prove useful in industry research.

NAICS: North American Industry Classification System
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
Industry Statistics Portal
Provides business data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Resource searching is available by NAICS code or title.
Economic Census
The Economic Census is the U.S. Government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy. It is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, and response is required by law.
Economic Census: Industry Snapshots
The Industry Snapshots present key statistics from the Economic Census and per capita ratios using data from Population Estimates for a user-selected industry
Economic Census: Business & Industry
Business is a large part of America's diverse economy. This section provides key information about businesses in communitie.
Small Business Snapshots
Market research reports cover industry trends, market statistics, customer demographics, recent business articles, and links to industry trade associations
Federal Reserve: Beige Book
This report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources.
SBDCNet
Serves the Small Business
Development Center Network and America's small business community.

These free web resources may also prove useful in company research.

EDGAR This link opens in a new window
EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) provides automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Yahoo! Finance
Provides a wealth of financial information including Market Stats, Bonds, Industries, and Education (including Investing 101, Personal Finance 101, and links to financial dictionaries.

These free web resources may also prove useful in market research.

American Fact Finder
Provides access to data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The data in American FactFinder come from several censuses and surveys.
Narrative Profiles
Narrative Profiles are short, analytic reports derived from the ACS 5-year estimates. Each Narrative Profile covers 15 different topic areas and provides text and bar charts to display highlights of selected social, economic, housing and demographic estimates for a selected geographic area.
Consumer Expenditure Surveys
Provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States.
Census Business Builder
Provides selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau tailored to specific types of users in a simple to access and use format.
E-Commerce Statistics (E-STATS)
he Census Bureau's e-commerce report measures the value of goods and services sold online whether over open networks such as the Internet, or over proprietary networks running systems such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Potential Keywords

Sometimes finding the right keywords can be a struggle. Here is a list of a few ways your can start your search.

DE "market share"
industry
company
business research

Want to know more about doing research? Try this!

Research at Pfeiffer Library
Learn more about how to find, use, and evaluate sources at Pfeiffer Library.