Citing your sources properly -- yes, even the charts and graphs you reuse from other sources, and the statistics you quote -- is important and required.
Purdue University's OWL Writing Lab Citation resources are the best ones out there on the web. Generally, Business & Economics courses require that you use APA citation style. Detailed information on both in-text references and "works cited" pages is available here.
Reference books like dictionaries and encyclopedias can provide essential background knowlege for any topic you are investigating, and provide you with precise definitions of difficult terms. While the free web provides many resources, the information you may find there isn't always reliable -- Wikipedia, for example, is still not a resource for serious academic research because it is so changeable and authorship is not verifiable.
Here are links for useful online resources for background information and important definitions -- but don't neglect the important print resources we have available in Myrin. Specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries provide quick reference and can be invaluable in solidifying your understanding of a topic as you begin your research into the more complex realms of statistics, academic journal articles, and books.
Dictionary of Finance, Investment and Banking by
This dictionary covers the terminology of the international financial marketplace. It provides concise and rigorous definitions of over 5,000 terms used in the accounting, banking, corporate finance, and investment management and insurance disciplines. It also includes formulae and diagrams, as well as commonly used acronyms and colloquialisms.
International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology by
The International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology is the first encyclopedia in the field and a timely response to the surge of interest in economic sociology over the last 30 years. Economic Sociology deals with the multiple and complex relations between economy and society. In particular, it focuses on the impact of social, political and cultural factors on economic behaviour. The Encyclopedia gives comprehensive and accessible coverage of the wide range of areas and subjects covered by the field, including, amongst many others, such major topics as consumption, corruption, democracy and economy, ecology, embeddedness, gender and economy, globalization, industrial relations, law and economy, markets, organization theory, political economy, religion and economic life, social capital, the sociology of money, state and economy, trust, and work. The International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology is the much-needed major reference work on one of the richest areas of development in the social sciences in recent years. It is an extremely valuable new resource for students and researchers in sociology, economics, political science, and business, organization and management studies. Entries are cross-referenced and carry compact bibliographies. There is a full index.
Encyclopedia of Political Economy by
This groundbreaking Encyclopedia is the very first fully-refereed A-Z compendium of the main principles, concepts, problems, institutions, schools and policies associated with political economy. Based on developments in political economy since the 1960s, it is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the field as well as being an authoritative reference work. Undergraduates taking courses in political economy or graduate students coming to the field for the first time will rely on this work as a key point of reference and for direction in their further reading. This lucid work compares for the first time the disparate theories of political economy (e.g, Marxist, Feminist, Sraffian etc.) and emphasizes the application of their principles to real world problems such as inflation, unemployment, development and financial instability. The extensive international team of consultants and contributors has produced a monumental work with truly global perspective.
Historical Dictionary of the World Bank by
When it was founded back in 1944 no one could possibly have foreseen how the World Bank - known more formally as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) - would flourish. Today, with 188 members, it is by far the largest lender for projects in agriculture, health, infrastructure and many other fields in developing countries around the world, with a budget of billions of dollars and a staff of more than 9,000, and its advice is usually heeded by both the developing countries which borrow from it and the advanced ones which contribute. This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the World Bank shows the substantial progress the Bank has made, this mainly through the dictionary section with concise entries on its component institutions, related organizations, its achievements in various fields, some of the major projects and member countries, and its various presidents. The introduction explains how the Bank works while the chronology traces the major events over nearly 70 years. Meanwhile, the list of acronyms reminds us just who the main players are. And the bibliography directs readers to useful internal documentation and outside studies.