Research Guides: Business Information Guide: Welcome

Top 10 Business Research Databases

SU Libraries subscribes to many databases with business information. To help you get started, here is a list of the top 10 frequently recommended starting points. See sidebar for additional business information sources (including databases) or browse a list of databases by subject.

ABI/INFORM Collection
Index and abstracts to publications in business, management, and news, as well as reports and working papers; includes some full text.
Business Insights
Articles about business, company histories and profiles, financial and industry reports, SWOT analyses, and more.
Business Source Elite
Business and economics journals and magazine articles, many with full text, including content from the Harvard Business Review.
COMPUSTAT
For a “daypass” URL to be automatically emailed to you, you must enter a valid syr.edu email address. For remote or longer term access, Register at Wharton Research Data Services if you do not already have a WRDS account.
Financial information, including income statements, stock prices, balance sheets, and data about publicly held companies, including some historic data.
Data Axle Reference Solutions
Formerly ReferenceUSA or Reference USA.
Includes profiles on United States and Canadian companies (including smaller private companies), a U.S. New Businesses search (with new businesses added weekly), a U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles database (where consumers can be identified with criteria such as income level and area of interest/hobbies), and directories of U.S. and Canadian residents.
Insider Intelligence eMarketer
Marketing, advertising, and consumer reports covering a range of industries, such as financial services, ecommerce, technology, and more. Includes content from both eMarketer and Business Insider Intelligence.
IBISWorld
Industry and company reports, industry outlook and risk rating reports, market share, and business environment profiles, and more, searchable by keyword or NAICS code.
Mergent Intellect
Information about U.S. and international public and private companies, company news, and key business ratios. Searchable by company, person, or industry. Includes content in D & B Million Dollar Database and offers FirstResearch industry profiles, Nielsen demographics, and residential and consumer lifestyle directories.
Mintel Reports
Research reports covering consumer behavior and analysis of United States markets.
Statista
Data from both public and private sources related to a wide range of subjects, including consumers, digital markets, and companies; also includes forecasts, analysis, reports, and more.

Summon

Summon
A search engine for most of the Syracuse University Libraries’ collections and other resources beyond the SU Libraries.

Includes articles, books, journals, maps, sound recordings, archival materials, government documents, and more. Use for searching for articles. Narrow or expand results using multiple search refinements.

Note that some specialized business research databases are not indexed in Summon. If you are having trouble finding the business information you need, consider going directly to the appropriate business database or contacting the business librarian.

For Summon search tips, please see the following video tutorials:

Video Tutorials for General and Business Research

Videos Tutorials for General Research

The following three video tutorials were developed by Syracuse University Libraries and cover general research starting points and search strategies.

Video Tutorials for Business Research

The following video introduction and four video tutorials focus on business research resources.

The four tutorials (which complement the Nuts and Bolts of Great Business Plans page of the Business Information Guide) were developed by Business, Management and Entrepreneurship Librarian Stephanie JH McReynolds to support EEE 457 students as they develop their Capstone business plans. Although developed with EEE 457 students in mind, anyone who is interested in learning more about the business research resources offered by Syracuse University Libraries is welcome to view.

Since the videos cover a lot of material, they have been subdivided into shorter chapters, which can be reached by using the chapter navigation feature in the upper left corner of the video player. An outline of the chapters for each video is also listed below, for your convenience. If something interests you, please check it out. For instance, maybe you already know a lot about IBISWorld, but have never considered exploring the "First Research" industry research module in Mergent Intellect.

Librarian Introduction: Stephanie JH McReynolds
Meet Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship Librarian Stephanie JH McReynolds. (3 minutes 3 seconds)
Industry Research Part 1: Identifying Industry Codes
Stephanie McReynolds, business, management, and entrepreneurship librarian at Syracuse University Libraries, provides guidance on identifying North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industry codes. (14 minutes 45 seconds)

Since this video covers a lot of material, it has been subdivided into shorter chapters, which can be reached by using the chapter navigation feature in the upper left corner of the video player. An outline of the video chapters is also listed below, for your convenience.

Video Chapters for Industry Research Part 1: Identifying Industry Codes

Introduction: Introduction and short description of North American Industry Classification (NAICS) codes. (38 seconds)
Searching for Codes in NAICS: Tips for searching for NAICS codes in the North American Industry Classification System (6 minutes 42 seconds)
Browsing for Codes in NAICS Reference Files: Overview of how NAICS Reference Files can be browsed to identify relevant codes that might otherwise be overlooked. (1 minute 17 seconds)
Using Company Databases to Find NAICS Codes: Overview of how company databases can be used to find NAICS codes. (50 seconds)
Searching ReferenceUSA for NAICS Codes: How to search in the company database Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) to find NAICS codes. (5 minutes 19 seconds)

Industry Research Part 2: Discovering Industry Research Reports and Data
Stephanie McReynolds, business, management, and entrepreneurship librarian at Syracuse University Libraries, provides guidance on how to use North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industry codes and keyword searches to find industry research reports and data. (28 minutes 11 seconds)

Since this video covers a lot of material, it has been subdivided into shorter chapters, which can be reached by using the chapter navigation feature in the upper left corner of the video player. An outline of the video chapters is also listed below, for your convenience.

Video Chapters for Industry Research Part 2: Discovering Industry Research Reports and Data

Introduction: Intro and overview of NAICS codes (already identified) to use when searching in industry databases. (2 minutes 7 seconds)
IBISWorld for Industry Research: How to find industry reports in IBISWorld using NAICS codes and keywords searches. (5 minutes)
Business Insights: Essentials for Industry Research: How to find industry reports, industry associations, market share reports, and rankings in Business Insights Essentials using NAICS codes. (4 minutes 17 seconds)
Mergent Intellect for Industry Research: How to find industry reports using NAICS codes and keyword searches in the "First Research" module of Mergent Intellect (2 minutes 54 seconds)
Plunkett Research Online for Industry Research: NOTE: Syracuse University Libraries no longer provides access to Plunkett. How to find industry reports, market reports, and industry associations using NAICS codes and keyword searches in Plunkett Research Online. (2 minutes 16 seconds)
Bizminer for Industry Research: How to find industry reports and ratios using NAICS codes and keyword searches in Bizminer. (2 minutes 32 seconds)
Business Source Elite for Industry Articles: How to find articles relevant to an industry by using NAICS code searches and keyword searches in the business article database Business Source Elite. (5 minutes 51 seconds)
Citing Business Resources in APA Style: Shows an example of how to find citation feature in article databases and demonstrates how to find recommended guide for citing other business resources in APA style. (1 minute 33 seconds)
Finding Additional Data: Recommendations of resources for finding additional data, including Explore Census Data and Data-Planet Statistical Datasets. (1 minute 42 seconds)

Company Research
Stephanie McReynolds, business, management, and entrepreneurship librarian at Syracuse University Libraries, provides guidance on how to search by company name to find company profiles and how to create lists of companies using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes in company databases. (19 minutes 54 seconds)

Since this video covers a lot of material, it has been subdivided into shorter chapters, which can be reached by using the chapter navigation feature in the upper left corner of the video player. An outline of the video chapters is also listed below, for your convenience.

Video Chapters for Company Research

Introduction: Intro and overview of searching by company name to find company profiles and using NAICS codes (already identified) to create lists of companies in company databases. (1 minute 48 seconds)
Business Insights: Essentials for Company Research: How to find company profiles, company hierarchy, market share reports, financial information, investment reports, and SWOT reports. (4 minutes 25 seconds)
Mergent Intellect for Company Research: How to find company profiles using a basic company search and how to create lists of companies using NAICS codes on the advanced search page of Mergent Intellect. (5 minutes 12 seconds)
ReferenceUSA for Company Research: How to find company profiles using a basic company search and how to create lists of companies using NAICS codes on the advanced search page of Data Axle Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA). (4 minutes 38 seconds)
PrivCo Overview (No Search Demo): Overview of PrivCo company database for information on fast growing private companies, including in-depth financial information, venture capital deals, as well as relevant mergers and acquisitions. (1 minute 10 seconds)
Westlaw Campus Research for Company Research: How to find a company profile in the Company Dossier module of Westlaw Campus Research, with an emphasis on the Company Family Tree part of the profile. (2 minutes 41 seconds)

Market Research Resources
Stephanie McReynolds, business, management, and entrepreneurship librarian at Syracuse University Libraries, provides guidance on how discover market research reports and survey data by browsing and using keyword searches in market research databases. (18 minutes 11 seconds)

Since this video covers a lot of material, it has been subdivided into shorter chapters, which can be reached by using the chapter navigation feature in the upper left corner of the video player. An outline of the video chapters is also listed below, for your convenience.

Video Chapters for Market Research Resources

Introduction: Intro and overview of Market Research resources. (37 seconds)
MarketResearch.com Academic for Market Research: How to browse Topics and use keyword searches to find demographic and market research reports in MarketResearch.com Academic. (3 minutes 5 seconds)
eMarketer for Market Research: How to browse Topics and use keyword searches to find market research reports, survey results, and statistics in eMarketer. (1 minute 10 seconds)
Mintel Reports for Market Research: How to use keyword searches, browse reports by Category, and use the List View to find recently published and upcoming market research reports in Mintel Reports. (7 minutes 24 seconds)
Richard K. Miller and Associates for Market Research: How to browse and search in Richard K. Miller and Associates Reports for market research statistics and additional sources of market research data. (1 minute 33 seconds)
Business Insights: Essentials for Market Research: How to find Market Share Reports in Business Insights: Essentials. (1 minute 5 seconds)
SimplyAnalytics and Simmons Insights Overview (No Search Demo): Overview of SimplyAnalytics and Simmons Insights databases for survey data. (42 seconds)
Statista for Market Research: How to browse and do keyword searches to find market research reports, statistics, survey results, industry reports, and data in Statista. (2 minutes 34 seconds)

Business Information Guide

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