BIZ 1301: Principles of Public Relations

How is research in PR and Business different?

• PR and Business research involves many different types of content:
  • company reports
  • industry profiles
  • financial information
  • statistics
• Many of our library databases can be searched at the same time using SearchONU, but business databases that are not primarily for articles are NOT included (i.e. Business Source Complete is included, but the Mergent databases are not)
• Lots of information is proprietary and not freely available
• Limited information is available about private companies

The PR and Business-related guides below are great resources for research related to public relations, and worth taking some time to explore.

• Most important part of research
• Identify a variety
• Only use necessary words when searching
• Keep track of what you tried, what worked, what didn't
• If you get no results, check your spelling

NAICS Codes
Primary NAICCODE: Public Relations Agencies - 541820

US SIC Codes
Primary SICCODE: Public relations services - 87430000

The most important thing to know before you begin your research is whether your company is publicly held or privately held. This information will inform where you search for information. U.S. law requires pubicly held companies to disclose certain information. Most private companies opt not to disclose this information. Thus, if you are researching a small private company, you may need to rely on local news and information sources.