Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Book Collections

Books will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of Accounting. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the Accounting books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books with a location of Reference cannot be checked out of the library. The Circulating Collection is on the second floor of the library. Books with a location of Circulating may be checked out.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for Accounting:

Click a subject heading below to use it as the search term for a Subject Search in the catalog.

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• HF -- Commerce
• HG -- Finance
• HJ -- Public finance
• K4430 -- Public Finance (Law)

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on Accounting using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• ABI/Inform Complete
  

  "Search 1000 premier worldwide business periodicals for information on advertising, marketing,economics, human resources, finance, taxation, computers, and more. Also, information on 60,000+ companies." Drawn from the vendor's website.

• LexisNexis Academic
  

  LEXIS-NEXIS® Academic Universe provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information, including news from over 18,000 newspapers, magazines and news wires and company financial information.

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Identifying Scholarly Articles guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

Professional Organizations

• American Accounting Association
  http://aaahq.org/
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountatns
  http://www.aicpa.org/
• American Society of Women Accountants
  http://www.aswa.org
• Institute of Management Accountants
  http://www.imanet.org/
• International Federation of Accountants
  http://www.ifac.org/
• Intitute of Internal Auditors
  http://www.theiia.org
• National Association of Black Accountants
  http://www.nabainc.org/
• National Society of Accountants
  http://www.nsacct.org/
• New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants
  http://www.njscpa.org/

Internet Resources

• AccountantsWorld
  http://www.accountantsworld.com/
  Source: AccountantsWorld, LLC. -- Community for accountants featuring news, discussions, links, software reviews, classifieds, job listings, and more.
• AccountingEdu.org
  http://www.accountingedu.org/
  Source: AccountingEdu.org -- A state by state accounting guide containing necessary information on how to become an accountant as well as the requirements to become a CPA. Also includes other accounting information and links to accounting programs.
• Financial Accounting Standards Board
  http://www.fasb.org/
  Source: Financial Accounting Standards Board -- The mission of the FASB is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information.
• Forms and Publications
  http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html
  Source: Internal Revenue Service -- Tax forms, publications, instructions and regulations from the IRS.
• Governmental Accounting Standards Board
  http://www.gasb.org/
  Source: Governmental Accounting Standards Board -- The mission of the GASB is to establish and improve standards of state and local governmental accounting and financial reporting that will result in useful information for users of financial reports and guide and educate the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of those financial reports.
• History of Accounting
  http://www.acaus.org/acc_his.html
  Source: The Association of Chartered Accountants in the United States (ACAUS) -- From the Egyptians and Sumerians of 3200 B.C. to the modern age, a history of accounting.
• International Accounting Standards Board
  http://www.iasb.org/
  Source: International Accounting Standards Board -- The IASB is an independent, privately-funded accounting standard-setter based in London. The IASB is committed to developing, in the public interest, a single set of high quality, understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that require transparent and comparable information in general purpose financial statements. In addition, the IASB co-operates with national accounting standard-setters to achieve convergence in accounting standards around the world.
• Tax and Accounting Sites Directory
  http://www.taxsites.com/
  Source: AccountantsWorld, LLC. -- A comprehensive index of web-based tax and accounting resources
• US Securities and Exchange Commission
  http://www.sec.gov/
  Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission -- The primary mission of the U.S. SEC is to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities markets.

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.
• For further information about this guide, please contact Megan Dempsey

Last Updated - 01 March 2008