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- MKTG 380: Principles of Marketing (Stone)
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MKTG 380: Principles of Marketing (Stone): Business Research
Resource for Ann Stone's MKTG 380 course.
Marketing & Advertising Journals
Google Scholar
Search Google Scholar for scholarly articles and books. You can see what item are in Western Libraries by setting Scholar Preference Library Links to Western Washington University.
General Business & Economics Sources
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Business Source Complete [EBSCO]A database covering business and economics. Materials available include trade journal articles, scholarly articles, company reports/SWOT analysis, industry reports, country reports, and more.
These are sources where you can find general business information. For more detailed resources and research tips, see guides relating to those topics or course guides.
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IBISWorldA database of industry market reports for more than 700 U.S. industries, organized by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Reports cover several categories: key statistics, market segmentation, market characterization, industry conditions, key factors, key competitors, industry performance, and outlook.
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Mergent OnlineA financial database covering public and select private US and international companies, both active and inactive. Includes general company info in addition to SEC filings, reports, insider trading details, current and historical financial info going back 15 years, and more.
Tip:This database is useful for locating competitors by industry and creating custom company reports. Info can be downloaded into Excel and other formats. -
Corporate Affiliations [LexisNexis]A guide to corporate families in the U.S. and worldwide. Covers public and private firms, manufacturers of specific products, services, executives, net worth, sales data, and recent mergers.
Tip:Search for specific brands or companies to see who owns them. Click Subscriber Tools > Company Search > Advanced Search, then select "Product Name" from the dropdown. -
Emerald InsightA database of articles from over 200 management journals. Covers major management disciplines including strategy, leadership, information management, marketing, and human resource management.
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PsycINFO [EBSCO]A database of abstracts for the international literature in psychology and related disciplines such as sociology, education, consumer behavior, linguistics, medicine, law, psychiatry, and anthropology. Coverage from 1840 to the present.
Tip:This database is very powerful for conducting precise searches when using search limiters.
Type of Articles & Journals
You will often be asked to search for academic or scholarly articles and journals. What does that mean? How are they different from other articles and journals?
Academic Journals and Articles
- An academic article is created by academics for academics.
- The research and information is considered to be trustworthy and well-researched.
- Academic journals often have the word "journal" in the title, like Journal of Business Communication.
- Academic articles are long. A short academic or scholarly article is five pages long; most are 15 to 20 pages long.
- Academic journals rarely feature color picutres; most will feature charts and graphs, but not pictures.
- Authors often have an affiliation with a university or research institute.
General-interest Magazines
- General-interest magazines include titles like Time, Newsweek, Forbes, and Rolling Stone.
- Articles are often shorter and written for a general audience.
- Articles feature color images and the magaiznes are slick and glossy.
- Don't dismiss an article in a general-interest magazine, but be aware of who it is written for and where it is coming from.
Subject Guide

Elizabeth Stephan
Contact:
Wilson Library 274
360-650-2061 (phone)