This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on accounting.

Background Information  |  Facts & Figures  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |   People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources  | 

Background Information (Overview Sources)

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

Accounting thesaurus : 500 years of accounting (R  657 Ac2765)
Blackwell encyclopedic dictionary of operations management (R 657.03 B568)
Encyclopedia of accounting systems (R 657 En19 1994 v.1 & 2)
History of accounting : an international encyclopedia (R  657.09 H6295)
Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for accountants & auditors -- provides a profile of accountancy as a career : education needed, working conditions, job prospects, average salaries etc.
Wiley practitioner's guide to GAAS (Generally Accepted Accounting Standards) (R  657.450218 G99w 2005)

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.

 101 business ratios : a manager's handbook of definitions, equations, and computer algorithms : how to select, compute, present, and understand measures of sales, profit, debt, capital, efficiency, marketing, and investment (R  658.1511 G223)

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials, use the following print sources:
Accountants' index. Supplement.
Accounting & tax index

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:
ABI/Inform Complete
Business Source Premier
EconLit
CCH Tax Research Network
Edgar SEC filings
Lexis Nexis Academic  -- click on Business, then Accounting
Wilson Omnifle

 

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.shtml) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.
Accounting
Accountants
Bookkeeping

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart  to get you in the right subject areas or try the following:

List call# areas here.
657

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Emerson's directory of leading U.S. accounting firms (R  338.761657 Em35)
 

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

AICPA .  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
American Accounting Association
Beta Alpha Psi  student association for study of accounting, finance and information systems
List of accounting associations and firms from SmartPros Accounting
 

Accounting Education.Com
Accounting Terminology Guide
Auditnet.org with extensive list of web resources: alphabetically | by subject
FASB Financial Accounting Standards Board
GASB Governmental Accounting Standards Board
SmartPros Accounting

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.shtml).