Subject Guide
List of Business Databases With Country Information
- ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new window
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
- USA Trade Online This link opens in a new window
- World Bank This link opens in a new window
- World Bank - Data This link opens in a new window
- World Bank - Documents and Reports This link opens in a new window
Country Information On The Internet
- CIA World FactbookAn excellent Internet Source For Country Information
- United Nations DataUnited Nations Data
- comScorecomScore is a global leader in measuring the digital world and the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. Search press releases by country name
- OFFSTATSThe OFFSTATS database provides access to free statistics from official sources on the web.
Web links are arranged by country, region or subject. - BBC Country ProfilesFull profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.
They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives - “Doing Business In” Guides form export.govWith information contained in the Guides you can learn about market conditions, purchasing power, consumer trends, distribution channels, navigating entry constraints, best sectors, key contacts and much more. You’ll find Guides for more than 100 countries, prepared by market experts located at U.S. embassies worldwide.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)We work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. We measure productivity and global flows of trade and investment. We analyze and compare data to predict future trends. We set international standards on a wide range of things, from agriculture and tax to the safety of chemicals.
Evaluation Checklist
Evaluation an information source
Establishing the authority of a document?
Can you identify the author(s)?
What credentials does the author(s) have?
Scholarly sources will list the author’s degrees
What affiliations does the author have?
A scholarly source will often be written by someone who is affiliated with a university.
What else has the author written?
Intended Audience
Is the language of the source technical and full of jargon or is the language general and easy to comprehend?
Does the source contain statistics, graphs, or tables?
Does a university press or professional organization publish the source?
Scope
Is the information source (i.e. book, article or website) an overview of your topic or is it focused just on one aspect of your research topic?
Does this information match the breadth of your research question?
Timeliness
When was the information published?
Are you researching a scientific or technology related topic?
Timeliness is critical with scientific information.
When was the information last updated?
Is this a 2nd or higher edition?
Documentation (scholarly sources will have documentation)
Does the source have a bibliography and/or footnotes?
Does the author consult other sources?
Objectivity
Is this an editorial?
Is the author’s point of view easy to see?
Is the information published by an organization that has established editorial position on the topic?
Coverage
Does this work cite, agree with, or update other sources on your topic?
Does this source cover a variety of viewpoints?
Primary vs. secondary research
Primary research is original research findings for the first time.
Examples: journal article or book presenting a new theory or findings
Secondary research is an evaluation or overview of previously presented research.
Example: Textbook, encyclopedia, Annual Reviews.
Is this a primary or secondary source?
Primary sources are first hand documents or data. A poem, novel, diary, eyewitness account and research data can all be primary documents. New research is often based on primary documents.
Secondary documents give an overview or interpretation of primary source material.