The following professional databases (not primarily for academic research) are not included in OneSearch, and you should search these resources individually.
Determine whether the company is public or private.
Be sure you are researching the official name of the company. Many companies have popular names that may not be listed anywhere. For example, 3M is Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.
If the company is a personal name or includes initials, e.g., Walt Disney or H. J. Heinz, look under each part of the name. Various sources are not consistent in how names are treated.
If the company name is a common word, such as Apple or Amazon, and you tend to retrieve articles about rivers (Amazon) or fruit (Apple), try adding Inc. or Corp. after the name.
Expand your research to include the parent corporation if you are researching a subsidiary. For example, Google is under the parent company Alphabet.
Small or new companies may not appear in the standard sources, particularly print sources. Look for news articles and a company website. Use any regional or specialized industry directories that may be available.
See if the database you’re searching in has a specific search tool or area to search for company names. In the list of results, there may also be a way to limit results by company.
Make sure the source you’re searching includes private or international companies. Some sources, like Mergent, only have publicly traded companies, so smaller companies aren’t included.
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