1. Publicly owned companies are usually easier to find information about than privately owned firms.  This is due to the fact that public companies are required by law to make financial information readily available.  Privately owned firms are under no such requirement.

2. Subsidiaries or divisions are usually more difficult to research than corporations as a whole.

3. Nationally known corporations are always easier to research than local or regional firms.

4. Print information (directories, history books, etc.) may be several months to several years old.  Companies must have done something relatively newsworthy to be covered by a national newspaper such as the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times.

5. To do a thorough job of researching a company, you will need to use a combination of print resources found at a library, plus information available from OhioLINK as well as sites on the Web.  For serious researchers, the quest for information may also involve contacting a chamber of commerce, a trade association, or even personally contacting the company in question.

Information flows in predictable patterns.  Use the following principles to select  resources.

• As a general rule, sources that are published regularly, such as newspapers and weekly or monthly magazines, will provide you with the most current information. If these resources are available electronically, they may be even more recent.
• Journals, which tend to be published monthly or quarterly and are more academic in nature, provide less current, but more in-depth information.
• Materials in the Reference room, such as directories, encyclopedias, and company histories tend to be published annually, and are excellent resources for establishing ownership, verifying company information, and getting a broad overview of a company's history. You may also find resources such as books, organizational charts, stock reports, and annual financial reports in your library's collection
 

This tutorial will guide you through the various types of information, but keep in mind the type of information you need should guide your choices of the resources you will actually use.