Skip to Main Content

Investment Research

About This Guide

  This guide provides resources for doing investment research. 
a tree made of money

Key Research Terms

New to research and using library resources?

Here are some basic terms that will hopefully help as you get started!

  • Library Catalog - The online search tool for books, ebooks, and other materials the library owns. Think of it like Google, but just for the library’s collection. It searches nearly everything the library has access to.
  • Database -  An online collection of information you can search. Think of it like a massive Google Drive with many folders and files.
    • Example: Business Source Premier, where you can find articles, reports, and case studies about companies and industries.
  • Journal - A publication that comes out regularly, like a magazine, but for research or professional news. Think of it like one folder in Google Drive with many files inside.
  • Article - A single piece of writing published in a journal, magazine, or newspaper. Think of it like a single Google Doc or Sheet in a folder.
    • Example: An article in Harvard Business Review about business strategies.
  • Keyword - The main word or phrase you use when searching. Think of it like a hashtag that helps you find what you’re looking for.
    • Examples: “Starbucks” (one word keyword), “fast food industry” (keyword phrase).
  • Citation - The details that tell you where an article, report, or other material came from ( so it will share the author, title, journal name, date, etc.). It is like an academic version of a credit line or byline, or like when you hit the share button online and it shows the original source/creator.