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Accounting Resources for Doctoral Research

Use this guide to find in-depth resources for accounting and tax research.

Citation managers

Access to two citation managers is offered through the Research Tools menu at the library website.

Refworks is a popular source for collecting papers and creating citations and reference lists. Create your free account and use it in your web browser.  Be sure to download the Word add-on called Write-n-Cite; it will allow you to insert citations into your paper while you're typing it, and it will even construct your references list at the end of the paper automatically, using the items you cited.  RefWorks is currently undergoing an interface change, so if you're a new user be sure to get started in the new version.  See the RefWorks guide to the new version for more information.

EndNote is another popular citation manager.  You can download the software by following the instructions at the link provided or use the free version on the web at http://my.endnote.com/.

Research methods

Where to publish

Researcher ID's

When you submit your first paper, take a moment to consider what name you choose to publishe under.  It is recommended to choose a distinctive name and stick with it.  For example, John Smith should incorporate his middle name (or at least an initial) into the name he publishes under.  After all, you want other researchers to be able to identify your work quickly and easily.

You should also consider signing up for a research ID number from one or both of the services below.  Associating these numbers with your work will ensure that your whole body of work is correctly associated with you.

ORCID is a widely recognized identification system.  You can sign up for an ORCID ID free at http://www.orcid.org.  Some journals now allow you to provide your ORCID ID as part of the submission process.

Thomson Reuters (publishers of Web of Science) also has an identification system called ResearcherID.  You can create a free account and get a unique research identifier.  One advantage of this service is that it helps pull together your works in the Web of Science databases.

Once you have signed up with these services, you can use them to search for other researchers with similar research interests.

Sharing your work

When your paper is published, be aware of what rights you have regarding its distribution.  In most cases, the publisher restricts the right to distribute the final version as published, including the pdf of the final verson.  However, some publishers may allow you to post copies of the final manuscript version or the submitted version after a specified embargo period.  Check the publisher's website for details.

SHERPA/RoMEO has gathered information on publisher copyright policies for many journals into a searchable database.  It can be a good place to start when considering how widely you can share your work; entries may contain links to the permissions page on the publisher's website.

Academic social media

There are several sites where you can create a researcher profile that shows your education, your interests, and a list of your published work.  Here are a few to explore.  Many of these offer extra features, such as recommending publications and possible collaborators based on your own work and research interests or spaces for discussing your current work or asking questions of other researchers.

Google Scholar profiles show the researcher's list of publications as well as some individual productivity analytics.  Log in using your cba.ua.edu email account, then click My Citations at the top of the page to create your profile.

SSRN is a reputable place to create a research account.  Upload working papers or finished work.  SSRN keeps track of the number of times your work is downloaded.

ResearchGate is another site used by many researchers worldwide.  Create your profile, then search for others doing similar research.  ResearchGate will track how many times your profile is visited and your work downloaded.

Mendeley can be used both as a citation manager (to track documents and citations your are using in your research) and as a vehicle to share your own research.  It will track how many times your publications are downloaded.

Academia.edu is yet another site where you can create an account and share your work.  Note that despite the name, this is not an academic website.