A recent survey in the International Herald Tribune pointed out that 73 percent of Americans felt they were stressed and didn't have enough time. This textbook aims to reduce the time needed to evaluate which reference works best suit the needs of the researcher by portraying the salient parts of each reference publication and providing the information necessary (ISBN/ISSN number, publisher's telephone/fax number, Web site, e-mail address, etc.) to read or obtain it.

If you try to devour this book quickly you will not grow stronger, regardless of the considerable fiber involved. If you try to read this book in small bites (or bytes), however, it may digest quite well. Fifty chapters of reference material is a lot. One way to approach this book is to learn it by sections. Each section focuses on a different area of reference material (biographies, statistics, financial ratios, indexes, directories, etc.). Once you have learned the format of the different types of references and their application to business questions, the easier it will become to think of them as specific tools to do specific analytical jobs.

The reference works are categorized into eight sections. Each chapter has a primary and a secondary research source. However, to provide as many opportunities as possible for the researcher, other reference publications are mentioned, usually with their telephone numbers and Web site addresses. While some references are easily classified, others overlap, creating a problem of whether, for example, one should look under a section dealing with international sources, governmental sources, functional sources, databases, and the like. The indexes and directories are listed in various chapters under private publishers, yet they are also found in the CD-ROM databases and on-line services of the government. Therefore, the question of where to look is often a subjective one. (An easy definition of reference publication is the material you cannot check out of the library.)

Part I of each chapter gives a brief portrayal of the reference book and where to find it. A box at the beginning of each chapter, called the "Reference Navigator," accompanies the ISBN or ISSN numbers, telephone and fax numbers. This important box includes Web site addresses, e-mail, databases, CD-ROM availability, and library reference numbers (see Chapter 21 for more information on Web sites).

The researcher's primary access point for almost all reference works is the publisher's Web site. However, the simple click that opens the door also turns into an often bewildering array of information alternatives that may appear to have little or nothing to do with the research goal. Most reference sources covered in this text have their own Web sites and the research task is easy. But some are arduous. For example if one wishes to find Tax Guide for Business Publications 314, one has to enter the U.S. government on-line service and then go to-Treasury Department-IRS-tax information-publications. The effort is often a challenge. Taje the time to learn how to employ Research Techniquess on the INTERNET.

E-mail addresses can be used for contacting personnel within the organization (publisher, government, etc.) one is seeking information from. They are a function of each researcher's particular interest (back copies, permissions, editorial, etc.), and no one simple e-mail address will answer all questions. Usually the organization has an e-mail address, and this is included in the text if available; personnel e-mail addresses are not included.

There are thousands of databases that may, or may not, cover the reference source in question and may do so in a variety of forms: bibliographic, abstract, or full text. In some cases the publishers or government have their own databases that may be accessed through their Web site (e.g., Gale Research), a common server (e.g., AOL), or another database (e.g., Lexis-Nexis). In short, the environment is very dynamic, and the researcher is cautioned to be flexible. Also refer to Directory of Business Information (Chapter 15) for database availability and format.

On average, most references are not available on CD-ROM unless they cover substantial fields of data, such as census tracks, which serve as the basis for the Statistical Abstracts of the United States. The CD-ROM category in the "Reference Navigator" indicates the publisher CD-ROM only. See Chapter 15 for information on CD-ROM reference availability on the market.

Part I of each chapter gives a brief portrayal of the reference book and where to find it. A box at the beginning of each chapter, called the "Reference Navigator," accompanies the ISBN or ISSN numbers, telephone and fax numbers. This important box includes Web site addresses, e-mail, databases, CD-ROM availability, and library reference numbers (see Chapter 21 for more information on Web sites).
Incidentally, advertising information appearing in these references can be informative and useful with regard to research services. Take the opportunity to read it.

The table of contents of any book gives an immediate impression as to its . . . its . . . contents, as we say in academia. This page, besides showing the conceptual framework of the text, may also include a short description of some of the interesting attributes included in various chapters. In some chapters the tables of contents have been deleted because the table of contents is simply too brief to be of consequence or too large to reproduce (examples are then given).

Although some critics may believe this part is superfluous, I feel that even a small exposure to the publication's number of pages, writing style, and general format are good introductions to the researcher's familiarity with the work. In some instances, highlighted parts may be used to explain the information portrayed. For example, the U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook (Chapter 45) has the name of the industrial specialist at the Department of Commerce who wrote the piece, plus his or her telephone number, and the date the piece was written at the end of each section.

After 20 years of teaching with textbooks, I would guess that while the "Summary" is the most-read page in any chapter, "Suggested Readings" is probably the least. Many students can barely find time to read the chapter and, despite the advantages, usually have no interest in looking up more material to read. Since there are 50 (short!) chapters in this textbook, additional suggested readings are not included. Instead, the concept of a "Recommended Supplement" has been put in its place. A "Recommended Supplement" is another quality reference work that may not have the specific focus or versatility of the first resource in the chapter, but offers some excellent supporting information or otherwise unique attributes. For example, in Chapter 50 (World Development Report, published by the World Bank) the Recommended Supplement is World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment. Here the focus of world economic development is enhanced by a comprehensive report on environmental development. The "Recommended Supplement" section at the end of each chapter summarizes each work into one or two pages.
            You will also find small boxes at the end of different sections in the chapter offering "Something to do" or "Something to think about," which will challenge you to give some thought to what you have just read.

This is a book you should plan on keeping. It is the source book to help you quickly research many business information problems; therefore, interact with the information as you are using it by keeping notes on references.
            And one final note. Research guides are by their nature incomplete so, if you know of a particularly good business reference that is not included, please feel free to write and describe why you like it. We will be grateful for the information and appreciate the time you took to do it.
Author e-mail: profpatbut@businessresearchsources.com
Publisher's Web site: http://www.businessresearchsources.com

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