ACCT 720:
Research Session
Ms. Shana Gass, MSLS
sgass@towson.edu
Reference Librarian,
Cook Library
April 1, 2010
Project Bibliography
• 5+ books
• 5+ web sites
• 5+ journal articles –
you’ll need to use some scholarly articles
• “Match it up”
(no items in bibliography that go uncited in
body of paper, and vice versa)
What Are Scholarly Articles?
• A helpful tutorial:
http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/helpguides/guides.cfm?id=5
• Top signs of a scholarly article:
–
–
–
–
Lists academic credentials of authors
Lots of citations/footnotes/extensive bibliography
Lengthy! Usually in the double-digits
Reports results of in-depth study rather than merely sharing news or
giving advice of what to do
– Tends to feature sections such as literature review, methodology,
discussion (of results), lots of graphs/charts
– Article-length literature reviews (more info after the jump!) are also
considered to be scholarly articles
What Is a Literature Review?
• Describes & analyzes state of the field in an
area of scholarship
– What’s known
– Schools of thought
– Points of contention
– Angles for further exploration
• More info:
– http://www.library.american.edu/Help/tutorials/lit_review/
– http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html
Literature Review:
Sources & Strategies
• Search library databases for scholarly articles
• Search Cook Library/USMAI catalog for
scholarly books/treatises
• Mine citations (going back)
• Do a citation search (going forward)
Particularly Useful Journals/
Book Series for finding literature reviews
• Journal of Accounting Literature:
All lit reviews!
[in print and in Accounting & Tax database]
• Advances in Environmental Accounting and
Management
[STACKS 5th floor, call number: TD194.7 .A38
Component: Case Studies
• Application of technique in a particular
company or industry
• Sources:
– Articles from scholarly journals
– Articles from trade & professional publications
– …Found in library databases
– Books
Tools:
Cook Library Accounting Subject Gateway
• http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/accounting
• Links:
– Business Source Complete
– Accounting & Tax
– Web of Science – Social Sciences (citation
searching)
Demo: Accounting & Tax
Demo: Business Source Complete
Search Techniques
• Search connectors:
– AND
– OR
– NOT
•
•
•
•
Truncation (*) for different word endings
See your handout for examples
Use Advanced Search for best options!
Leverage the subjects listed for articles to hone in
on your topic
Electronic Book Databases
• NetLibrary & eBrary databases have electronic
books in full text on wide range of subjects
• Link from list of Cook Library databases:
• http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/databasesByTitle.cfm
Company & Industry Background
• Business Source Complete database
> search for Company or industry
> Narrow sources by SWOT Analyses OR
Industry Profile
• Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage database
> Industry Surveys
Questions?
…feel free to contact me!
Shana Gass
(410) 704-2395
sgass@towson.edu *preferred
Or any reference librarian:
Visit – phone – IM – email – TXT
Cook Library Web Site > Ask A Librarian