Washington Tech Library
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Washington Technical Institute Online Library
Welcome to the online library for Washington Technical Institute. We have gathered an extensive library and reference area for students to become successful researchers, writers, and seekers of knowledge.
Digital Public Library of America
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Law Libraries, and Research
FastCase
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General Business Resources:
Digital Commons Network – Business
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository that makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- Business sections contain over 16,066 works from 183 institutions
Digital Public Library of America
- Brings together free resources from America’s archives libraries, archives, and museums
- Striving to contain the full breadth of human expression, this portal currently provides access to over 5,000,000 resources
- Use the bookshelf tab or the search bar to navigate to the search interface or find resources on a particular topic
- Not business-specific, but use search features to narrow results down to your chosen topic
Digital Commons Network – Business Subfields
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository that makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- Specific subfields of interest to management students include
Digital Commons Network – Marketing
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository that makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- Business Administration, Management, and Operation section contains over 1,400 works from 85 institutions
Directory of Open-Access Journals
- “The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals, thereby promoting their increased usage and “
- Thousands of open access journals with full-text articles
Internet Public Library – Business Administration and Management
- “ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment
- “Merged collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians’ Internet Index (LII) websites.”
- Provides a variety of online resources including some access to full-text articles
- “Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research.”
- Since not all resources on Google Scholar are free, look for items that have a PDF link on the right-hand side of the page, which indicate they are available for free immediate viewing
- Not business-specific, but use search features to narrow results down to your chosen topic
Internet Public Library – Business and Economics
- “ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment
- “Merged collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians’ Internet Index (LII) websites.”
- “Hosted by Drexel University’s College of Information Science & Technology, and a consortium of colleges and universities with programs in information science are involved in developing and maintaining the ipl2.”
- Provides a variety of online resources including some access to full-text articles
Websites
- Business and economic reports from the United States Census Bureau
- Website of the business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P.
- Created to provide information and interpretations about what is happening in the business world
- The global market leader in commercial press release distribution
- Used by thousands to member companies and organizations to transmit full-text news, regulatory filings, photos, and other content to the public
Center for Human Capital Studies
- Created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to facilitate understanding of human capital development and labor market issues
- Broad focus on the interaction between labor markets and education sectors, and the derived associated human capital development and workforce policies
- Website of the U.S. Department of Commerce
- Promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved standards of living for all Americans by working in partnership with businesses, universities, communities, and our nation’s workers
- Particular focus on areas such as trade, economic development. Technology, entrepreneurship and business development, environmental stewardship, and statistical research and analysis
- Website of the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program, whose data is collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau
- The CE program consists of two major surveys that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including information on expenditures, incomes, and consumer unit characteristics
- Leading full-service index provider that develops maintains and licenses indexes for use as benchmarks and as the basis of investment products
- Offers more than 130,000 equity indexes, including measures of hedge funds, commodities, and real estate
- Market research focused on industry, country, company, and consumer lifestyle research
- Analyzes companies and markets in more than 200 categories across 80 countries
- Lifestyle, demographic and socio-economic country data spanning 206 countries
- Time-series and cross-sectional data relating the food and agriculture for approximately 200 countries
- Includes information about agricultural supply, resources, investment, trade, production, prices, and more
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- The FDIC is the independent agency created by Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation’s financial system by insuring deposits, examining and supervising financial institutions for safety and soundness and consumer protection, and managing receiverships
- Website of the American business magazine which was first published in 1917
- News and opinions on news on current happenings in finance, industry, investing, marketing topics, and more
Fortune
- Website of the global business magazine published by Time
- News and opinions on news on current happenings in finance, industry, investing, marketing topics, and more
- Web-portal that connects international business professionals to a wealth of information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities
- Largest bibliographic database dedicated to economics available freely on the internet
- Hosted by the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- Website for Inc. magazine
- Advice, tools, and services to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their own businesses
- Program dedicated to educating students on the significance of leadership and relay the concepts of leadership through interactive curriculum
- Directed at high school students but provides a solid and free introduction to business
- Created as part of the MIT Open Courseware project
Minority Business Development Agency
- Entrepreneurially focused organization from the U.S. Department of Commerce committed to wealth creation in minority communities
- Mission is to actively promote the growth and competitiveness of minority business enterprises
North American Industry Classification System
- The standard used by the Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy
- The world’s leading and most liquid equities exchange group
- Comprised of equities and derivatives exchanges across the U.S. and Europe which trade cash equities, futures, options, fixed-income, and exchange-traded products
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
- Non-profit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and public interest by promoting informative, accurate and independent audit reports
- Oversees the audits of broker-dealers, including compliance reports filed pursuant to federal securities laws, to promote investor protection
- Portal to the U.S. Small Business Association
- Provides comprehensive resources for small businesses, small business owners, and prospective business owners
- Links to the complete list of filings available through EDGAR and instructions for searching to the EDGAR database
- All companies, foreign and domestic, are required to file registration statements, periodic reports, and other forms electronically through EDGAR
Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
- IRS information related to small business
Small Business Development Center National Information Clearinghouse
- Created to meet the information needs of the SBDC community in the U.S.
- Serves as a resource for providing timely, relevant research, web-based information, and training to SBDC counselors and their small business clients
- Monthly survey which is the definitive source of information for the Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Presents national, international, regional, and industry estimates, provide information about major revisions, discuss ongoing innovations and keep users up-to-date on relevant BEA issues and initiatives
- Supplier discovery platform for finding manufacturers, distributors, and service providers
- Includes section for staying informed through new product news
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Aims to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation
Online Databases
Digital Commons Network – Marketing
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository which makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- Business Administration, Management and Operation section contains over 1,400 works from 85 institutions
Internet Public Library – Marketing
- “ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment
- “Merged collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians’ Internet Index (LII) websites.”
- Provides a variety of online resources including some access to full-text articles
History and Archives
- A project of Duke University which presents images and database information for over 7000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955
- Focuses on five main subject areas: radio, television, transportation, beauty and hygiene, and World War II
- The UK based Advertising Archives compiles advertisements and related works, spanning the mid-19thcentury to the present day
AdViews: A Digital Archive of Vintage Television Commercials
- Another digital archive developed as a project of Duke University
- Thousands of television commercials created for collected by the D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowels (DMB&B) advertising agency, dated 1950s-1980s
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850-1920
- Another great archive from Duke University’s digital collections
- Over 3,300 advertising items and publications dating from between 1850 and 1920
Statistics, Surveys, Polling, and Other Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau – Monthly & Annual Retail Trade Surveys
- Comprehensive date on retail activity in the United States
- Compiles results of the Advance Monthly and Monthly Retail Trade Surveys as well as the Annual Trade Surveys
- Also, includes results from the Business Expenses Statement which compiles statistics on detailed business operating expenses
American Customer Satisfaction Index
- The only national cross-industry benchmark of customer satisfaction in the United States to provide insights across the entire user experience
- Provides critical information about effective promotional tactics and more
- Demographic information such as population and income, searchable by city, state or zip code
- The principal federal agency responsible for measuring labor activities, working conditions and price changes in the economy
- Seeks to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making
- Federal agency dedicated to serving as the leading source of quality of data about the nation’s people and economy
- Regular reports cover information about the population, housing, and economics
- “Easy-to-use tool for investigating US demographic trends” featuring “eye-catching graphics and exportable trend data
- Created by the Social Science Data Analysis Network at the University of Michigan
- Aggregates data from numerous resources to create complete profiles of as many US cities as possible
Fedstats
- Provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the federal government
- Charts and other graphical representations posted daily relating to the marketing, branding and consumer preferences, habits, and loyalties
- “Non-partisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America
- Find out which segments of the population live and consume in your target audience’s area
- “Aims to inform people around the world about population, health, and the environment towards the goal of empowering them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.”
Roper Center Public Opinion Archives
- “Archive which preserves the data from polls conducted by several leading survey organizations for the use of researchers, students, and journalists.”
- Some collections and resources are available online and browseable by topic
- Compiles links to hundreds of resources related to marketing, arranged by topics such as advertising, e-commerce, customer relationship management, law and much more
- Also provides access to statistical resources, software for statistics and research, and tutorials
- A service of the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business
- Makes available data sets from dozens of federal and state sources, along with some commercial and private source data
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
- An agency within the US Department of Commerce, the BEA “promotes a better understanding of the US economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data an objective cost-effective manner.”
Professional Groups/Organizations
Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)
- Association for practitioners from every avenue of advertising and marketing to gather and exchange ideas and research strategies
- Events and forums to network with other advertising and marketing professionals
American Association of Advertising Agencies
- National trade association representing the advertising agency business in the United States since 1917
- Find resources, news, events, forums, advocacy resources, and talent t development resources
American Marketing Association
- One of the largest marketing associations in the world with over 30,000 members who work, teach and study in the field of marketing
- Find resources related to advertising, branding, research, strategy, metrics as well as professional events, trainings, publications, career opportunities, and a community forum
Business Marketing Association
- Provides and promotes business to business marketing and communications
- The Direct Marketing Association is a global trade association was founded in 1917
- Represents nonprofit organizations and nearly half of Fortune500 companies.
Internet Marketing Association
- Designed to provide members with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and reach within the internet marketing community
- Aims to be the primary source of information and expertise for mobile marketing
- This association is dedicated to bringing together like-minded individuals in the industry and serving as a key advocate in the industry
Promotion Marketing Association
- Founded in 1911 based on the four pillars of providing education, community, networking opportunities and resources
- Founded in 1997 in Boston there is no cost to become a member of this association
- Provides a wide range of information and resources on web marketing
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association has the goal of creating and enhancing products that are from brands that are spoken and “talkable” from person to person
Websites
- Private non-profit that produces, distributes and promotes public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations
- Creative training and concept development tool for advertising and marketing professionals and students
- Website counterpart to the magazine which provides news, analysis, and data on marketing and media
Advertising Self-Regulatory Council
- “A service of the advertising industry and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.”
- “Establishes the policies and procedures for advertising industry self-regulation.”
- Includes archive, events, and recent press releases
- An excellent resource for those interested in building and/or promoting a brand, this website provides, papers, events, a public forum, and brand news as well as a glossary of terms related to branding
Brandopedia
- Marketing, media and advertising terms and well and links to white papers
- Marketing news and newsletter which aims to help marketing oriented leaders and professionals build strong brand through fostering community among professionals and sharing of ideas and expertise
- Large resource for interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research created to help interactive marketers do their jobs better
Interactive Advertising Bureau
- 600 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States
- “Aims to educate marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising”
- Resources pertaining to best practices, public policy, research, and professional development
Know This: Knowledge Source for Marketing
- “Knowledge source for marketing since 1998”
- Includes tutorials, glossary, stories, and access to the KnowThis blog
- News, opinions, trends, analysis, brands, intelligence, professional development, and job searching for marketers
- “The world’s largest online social media magazine” which aims to help “businesses discover how to best use social media, blogs and podcasts to connect with customers, drive traffic, generate awareness and increase sales”
Accounting Resources
Digital Commons Network – Accounting
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository which makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- The accounting section contains almost 1000 works from 70 institutions
- Not accounting-specific, but use search features to narrow results down to your chosen topic
Internet Public Library – Accounting
- “ipl2 is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment
- “Merged collections of resources from the Internet Public Library (IPL) and the Librarians’ Internet Index (LII) websites”
- Provides a variety of online resources including some access to full-text articles
- Free quizzes, download-ready study guides, question and answer area, and accounting dictionary
- On this site, there is “information for investors about how to read an annual report, how to find reports online, information for students and educators as well as for those involved in creating annual reports and for those interested in reports by non-profit and charitable organizations.”
Continuing Professional Education Accounting and Tax Institute
- A non-profit, online continuing education service for various accounting degrees fulfillment, such as CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and Financial Planning
- Included is information on the state board requirements across the United States, as well as a fully online course catalog
- Nationwide database of 450,000 Certified Public Accountants and CPA firms searchable by criteria including name, location, and industry focus
- Taxpayer, small business, and investing information is available for the public and the professional as well as job postings and career information
- CPA-Resource provides many resources, useful to professional accountants, CPAs or those interested in accounting
- Articles, blogs, news, audio and video content related to accounting are provided through a free membership, although many materials are also available without a membership
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
- The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board promulgates accounting principles for federal government reporting entities
- Provides access to all publications issued by FASAB including exposure drafts, the volume of original pronouncements, newsletters, minutes and meeting agendas
- An online resource for accounting students including
- Daily accounting news updates
- Guide to tax & accounting resources on the Web
- An online forum
- Employment information
- “Tips, tricks, and solutions for accounting students and working world neophytes.”
Finance Resources
- “Tools and resources for the electronic accountant.”
- Features free, full-text articles from Accounting Today, Accounting Technology, and Practical Accountant
- Also has a newswire, news from Washington, and industry rankings
- Free registration is required to read the newsletter
Digital Commons Network – Finance and Financial Management
- The BEPress Digital Commons Network is an open-source institutional repository which makes the scholarly output of several universities and institutions freely available
- Business Administration, Management and Operation section contains over 1,300 works from 95 institutions
Writing guides:
APA Citation Guides
Purdue’s OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide
- One of the best online resources available to students seeking to improve the format and style of their writing
- This link will take you to the page of Purdue OWL dedicated to APA general style rules
- Use links in the menu on the left side of the page to navigate to narrower topics in APA style such as how to cite specific kinds of resources
CSUS APA Style Guide
- Excellent guide from CSU Sacramento
- Provides everything you need to know about APA citations
- Easy to navigate using tabs at the top of the page
- Tutorial presentation from APA
- Provides an ample overview of APA style and formatting
- Use arrows at the bottom of the presentation to advanced slides as needed.
Avoiding Plagiarism:
- This site from the English department at the Illinois Valley Community College provides a simple explanation of plagiarism
- Especially useful in providing more information on what constitutes general knowledge
Princeton University Academic Integrity website
- Use the menu on the left to navigate among the resources
- These resources provide examples of plagiarism and give more information about the nuances of plagiarism including when collaboration is okay, what constitutes general knowledge, and other issues that might affect your academic integrity
- One of the most comprehensive online resources available for writers
- This section addresses plagiarism
- Subsections can be navigated to from the menu on the left-hand side of the page
- One of the best pages on this site is the “Best Practices” section that provides you a guide for how to approach writing so that you will always avoid plagiarizing
Plagiarism Tutorial
- Series of tutorials from the University of Southern Mississippi
- Covers what constitutes plagiarism and how to properly cite resources used in your papers
- This also includes quizzes which can help you make sure you understand everything you need to know to avoid plagiarism in your writing
- Another tutorial series on plagiarism
- Features a plain text version as well as an interactive version that tests you as you go with quizzes, links, and a more interesting, engaging format than some other resources with the same information.
