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 New Jersey Small Business. 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 New Jersey Small Business 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 New Jersey Small Business:

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

• Entrepreneurship – United States
• Home-based business
• New business enterprises -- Planning
• New business enterprises – New Jersey
• Small business – New Jersey

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:

• HD 2340 -- Small Business
• HD 2421 -- Business information sources
• HD 2798 -- Business enterprises – New Jersey
• HD 30 -- Business planning
• HD 62 -- Proposal writing in business
• HF 5065 -- Businesspeople – New Jersey
• HF 5415 -- Marketing -- planning

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 New Jersey Small Business 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.

• Business Source Premier
  

  Business Source Premier provides full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed titles. It is updated daily.

• Facts on File
  

  Provides general information on academic and career-related collections. This is an excellent source of graphics and encyclopedia length articles on general topics. Because it does not have a single interface, however, finding information may take some digging.

• 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.

• ReferenceUSA
  

  Cutting-edge, advanced technology to provide real-time access to the world's most comprehensive databases of 14 million U.S. businesses; 250 million U.S. consumers; 732,000 U.S. physicians, surgeons and dentists; 1.2 million Canadian businesses; and 12 million Canadian consumers.

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 Small Business Association
  http://www.asbaonline.org/
  A partnership of small business owners with the shared goal of running a profitable business. ASBA provides office, travel and medical benefits, along with personal benefits for improving quality of life.
• Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
  https://usasbe.org/
  A non-profit organization devoted to continuing management education for entrepreneurs and small business.
• National Association for Female Executives
  http://www.nafe.com
  The largest business-women's association in the United States.
• National Association for the Self-Employed
  http://www.nase.org/
  Representing more than 320,00 small-business owners, the association obtains lower prices for goods and services for its members by banding together.
• National Business Association
  http://www.nationalbusiness.org/
  A non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and educating the small business community and the self-employed, monitoring legislation in Washington D.C., providing updates and information on current issues and trends facing the small business community, and providing vital support programs, cost, and timesaving products and services for their membership.
• National Federation of Independent Business
  http://www.nfib.com/
  Nation's largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses.
• United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
  http://www.usasbe.org/index.asp
  A national organization focused on the development of small business and entrepreneurship.

Internet Resources

• "Where do I start?"
  http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm
  Source: U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System
• Better Business Bureau of New Jersey
  http://www.trenton.bbb.org
  The BBB's Core Services include Business Reliability Reports; Dispute Resolution, Truth-in-Advertising, Consumer and Business Education, and Charity Review
• Business Owner's Toolkit
  http://www.toolkit.cch.com
  Answers to business, tax, and legal questions and practical tips to help you stay in compliance with the law
• Business Owners’ Idea Café
  http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/
  Small Business ideas for starting a business, marketing, financing, grants, work at home & internet ecommerce.
• Business Week Online – Small Business
  http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/index.html
• Compliance Assistance-Fair Labor Standards Act link
  http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/flsa/#form
  Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• County Business Patterns
  http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/index.html
  Source: U.S. Census Bureau
• Employer Identification Numbers
  http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html
  Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service
• Entrepreneur Magazine's Start-up Kits
  http://www.entrepreneur.com/toolkit
  These are excerpts from the business start up guides published by Entrepreneur Magazine. If you see one that is of interest to you, please be aware that we have a large collection of these guides here in the RVCC Library. There is no need to purchase the "full" guide from this web site.
• FAQ
  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/faq.htm
  Source: U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System
• First Step Employment Law Advisor
  http://www.dol.gov/elaws/FirstStep/
  Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• Forms
  http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html
  Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service
• Forms
  http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/index.html
  Source: U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System
• Forms Online
  http://www.dol.gov/libraryforms/index.asp
  Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• Google Small Business Resources
  http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Small_Business/Resources/
• New Jersey - Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
  http://www.score.org/index.html
  SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides a public service to America by offering small business advice and training by 10,500 working/retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders with more than 600 business skills.
• New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
  http://www.njchamber.com
  Promotes a vibrant business environment and economic prosperity through vision, expertise and innovative solutions
• New Jersey Small Business Development Centers
  http://www.njsbdc.com/
  Offers free counseling, affordable training and information services to assist small businesses and prospective entrepreneurs.
• New York Public Library Classes on Business and Industry
  http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/curricdesc.cfm?id=3
• NJBIZ
  http://www.njbiz.com
  Designed to be a one stop portal for NJ business news, it also has a directory of New Jersey businesses.
• Official Link to the US Business Advisor
  http://www.business.gov/
• Resource for Family Business Executives & Owners
  http://fambiz.com/home.cfm
• Resources for small businesses
  http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus.shtml
  Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Small Business Knowledge Base
  http://www.bizmove.com
  Guides and worksheets on starting a business, small business marketing, and Internet-based business
• State of New Jersey Business Sources
  http://www.state.nj.us/nj/business/
  Extensive information on financial assistance, technical support, state demographics and statistics, county economic development, and local chambers of commerce
• The Entrepreneur's Reference Guide to Small Business Information – 3rd ed.
  http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/guide/guide2/
• The Riley Guide: Steps in Starting Your Own Business
  http://www.rileyguide.com/steps.html
• Trademark Electronic Application System
  http://www.uspto.gov/teas/index.html
  Source: U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System
• U.S. Census Bureau
  http://www.census.gov
• U.S. Department of Labor
  http://www.dol.gov
• U.S. Internal Revenue Service
  http://www.irs.gov
• U.S. SBA Regulatory Alerts for Small Business
  http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/law_regalerts.html
  Source: U.S. Small Business Administration
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  http://www.sec.gov
• U.S. Small Business Administration
  http://www.sba.gov
• U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System
  http://www.uspto.gov
• Wall Street Journal Small Business Page
  http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-small-business-marketing.html
  start a business with the help of the Wall Street Journal
• Yahoo! Small Business
  http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/
  Portal for many useful small business related sites with a wide variety of topics.

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 - 05 May 2009