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Business Research Basics

This page highlights commonly used databases for business research and organizes them by research area. It is designed to help identify the most useful tools for locating articles, industry and company information, financial data, and market analysis.

Key Business Databases

These tools are great for getting started with business, entrepreneurship, and economics research. These databases are some of the most useful and commonly used for finding background information, scholarly articles, and business data. The databases are grouped by the type of information they’re best for, whether you're analyzing industries, researching companies, exploring markets, or finding financials. 

For all business and economics databases available at UD, please visit our complete business and economics database list.

Scholarly and Trade Articles

Database

Description

ABI/INFORM

Scholarly and trade business literature, including market, industry, and policy reports

Business Source Premier

Wide coverage of business disciplines, with peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, and case studies

Business Insights

Reports, articles, and market analysis; includes company and industry info

CQ Researcher

In-depth reports on major current issues in business, economics, and policy

EconLit

Scholarly economics-focused database, includes journal articles, theses, working papers

Industry Research

Business Insights

Reports, articles, and market analysis; includes company and industry info

IBISWorld Industry Research

US-focused industry reports with key trends, performance, and outlook

Passport

Global industry and market data, consumer behavior, and economic trends

Marketscope Advisor

Industry analysis and market commentary

Company Information

Business Insights

Reports, articles, and market analysis; includes company and industry info

Mergent Market Atlas

Detailed public company financials, filings, and executive information

Nexis Uni

Business news, company profiles, and legal and regulatory information

Reference Solutions

Directory of businesses; useful for identifying local or small businesses

Startup and Investment Research

Marketscope Advisor

Investment-focused industry and market reports, with news and analysis

PitchBook

Data and analysis on startups, private equity, venture capital, M&A deals, and investors

Market Research

Passport

Global industry and market data, consumer behavior, and economic trends

PitchBook

Data and analysis on startups, private equity, venture capital, M&A deals, and investors

Statista

Survey results, reports, and statistics on consumer behavior, brands, and industries

Visual and Statistical Data

Data USA

Visualizations of U.S. government data including demographics, economics, education, and health

Passport

Global market research, data, and analysis on industries, economies, consumers, and companies

Statista

Charts, reports, and statistics across markets, industries, and demographics