Bus 280 - Legal Environment of Business (Manny)

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

Reference Librarian Zip Kellogg/e-mail zkellogg@usm.maine.edu /tel. 780-5661 would be glad to help you find information at any time.

This class is an information intensive one. A facility with proprietary library databases, locating experts, and refined searching of the Net will all work to your advantage. Reference Librarian Zip Kellogg is available to meet with students individually or in groups.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

The Library of Congress provides a breakdown of the call number classification scheme. To find a listing of topic call numbers click on any of the subcategories below to see more detail.

Reference sources are useful tools to obtain background information and to develop a vocabulary of possible search terms. The following are just a few of the print resources available at the University of Southern Maine Libraries.

Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Government
POR Reference JK 274 W449

Encyclopedia of American Public Policy
POR Reference JK 468 P64 J33

Small Business Sourcebook
POR Reference HD 2346 U5 S66

Federal Regulatory Directory
POR Reference KF 5406 A15 F4

Black's Law Dictionary
POR Reference KF 156 B53

The New Nonprofit Almanac & Desk Reference: Essential Facts and Figures for Managers, Researchers, and Volunteers
POR Reference HD 2769.2 U6 N47

Business Plans Handbook
POR Reference HD 62.7 B865

Washington Information Directory
POR Reference F 192.3 W33

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

Here are a few databases selected specifically because they are likely to be useful for students in the Legal Environment of Business course.

Business Source Premier
This is a good general purpose business index, covering such topics as finance, money and banking, mergers and acquisitions, new technologies, international trade, and more. For many students and faculty alike it is the first place to search for articles in business and trade journals. Many of the cited items are in full text (the entire article shows on your computer screen).

Business and Company Resource Center
The BCRC is actually a collection of databases organized specifically for the business community.  One can search for information about a specific company, about an entire industry, or for current articles about any business topic.  After the initial search, it's easy to follow links to varied business information, such as company histories, rankings within the industry, business and trade associations related to the search, etc.

Regional Business News
A collection of news stories from several news wire services and current business and trade journals.  Up to the minute articles and briefs from around and nation and the world.

ProQuest Newspapers
For up to date newspaper articles on specific companies, industries, business trends, etc. Cover s the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Christian Science Monitor, etc.  This is a full-text database.

EconLit
A database of the economic literature produced by the American Economics Association. It covers hundreds of journals, books, disserta tions, working papers, etc. If you are taking classes in economics or are an economics major this database may be of great use to you.

Maine Newsstand
This index helps you find current newspaper articles about Maine business topics, Maine businesses, etc. It covers, among other newspapers, the Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram, and the Bangor Daily News. It is a full text database.

Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
This Database includes online access to many of the Standard and Poor's research products and publications, including Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Mutual Fund Reports, Bond Reports, Corporation Records, and The Outlook.

These are useful links for this class:

Cornell Law Library International Resources

FindLaw.com

Federal Government Agencies

Maine Government Agencies

US Patents and Trademark Office

US Copyright Office

Maine Consumer Law Guide

Portals to the World (broad range of info about countries)

STAT-USA contains business, economic, social and other data produced by more than 50 federal agencies all gathered together under the “STAT-USA” umbrella. Includes the National Trade Data Bank and much much more. This is a passworded system for use in the library. See a reference librarian to get logged in.

In using resources it is important that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods.

Citation Styles

Chicago Manual of Style
POR Reference Z253 .U69 2003

Chicago/Turabian Documentation (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)