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ATLS 4000/4010: Research Methods and Professional Practice Capstone: How to Find...

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Interlibrary Loan

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When we do not have a source, you may use our Interlibrary Loan services to request it! Place your request using ILLiad, and we do our best to get the source for you from another library. Interlibrary Loan is free for registered faculty, staff, and students and other authorized users at the Boulder Campus.

On This Page

This page is designed to provide starting points for searching and browsing a variety of information formats from a variety of disciplines. Skip to the section of this page that is relevant to your topic. This page includes:

Don't forget that you can ask Emily for additional research guidance.

Art and Creative Browsing and Research

Components of artwork may be inspirational to your design work.  Search for or browse through art books and magazines for precedent on the artistic or creative aspects of your design work. While well known artists will often be the main subject of a book, more obscure or recent artists may be included in a group show catalog or a book discussing many artists - search for art styles and movements.

Browse the Art & Architecture Collection:

Art & Architecture Collection in Norlin Library

Norlin Library contains an extensive Art & Architecture Collection, of both books and magazines.  Visit to browse titles, flipping through books and magazines is a great way to get new inspiration.

rare bookVisit Rare and Distinctive Collections:

You may also want to browse materials from our Rare and Distinctive Collections, including Rare Books (check out especially the Artist Book collection and Photography collection) and Archives.  Because these materials are unique, you'll need to set up a time to browse them in the reading room, contact rad@colorado.edu to get help.

Business Research, News, and Reports

Part of precedent research for your capstone topic might involve learning more about the market (or audience) for your design solution, an industry, or other companies who are related to the landscape your design is part of.  Business research is different from research you are doing in other subject areas, so there are some tips to help you get started below. Many databases are not as intuitive to use, so give yourself more time to learn and search. If you get stuck, please email Emily Dommermuth for help. 

Market research reports contain industry information, demographic data, and an analysis of a market. It helps you answer the question: Who are your customers, or audience?  If you customers are individual people, use market research reports to find segmentation, consumer preferences, and buying patterns. If your customers are businesses, use an industry report to find the size of the market, market drivers, and geographic concentration.

Industry reports provide general information about the industry and industry operations:

  • Major companies/key players
  • Suppliers and resources
  • Regulations which impact the industry and its suppliers
  • Performance benchmarks
  • Emerging trends and issues

Industry Classification:
Businesses are classified into specific industries. These industries have classification codes, which can help ensure relevant results since many databases allow you to use this code to search the contents. Two codes that are assigned to all US businesses are NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) and its precursor SIC (Standard Industrial Classification).

  • NAICS: North American Industry Classification System
  • SIC: Standard Industrial Classification

If you have trouble finding the right industry classification code, you can always look for a similar/competing company in a database such as Reference USA and find the codes there:

 

Target Industry:
As you do your research, think broadly and creatively about where your target fits. Some industries are too new or too odd to fit into an established category. It also doesn't hurt to look at more than one industry.

Databases are important​ for company research

  • Much information is not free and available on Google (especially for private companies).
  • Therefore, CU pays for students to have access to databases with this restricted (and expensive!) information.
  • Databases package information from different sources in one place, which saves you time.
  • Many databases allow you to create custom reports and export data as spreadsheets, which also saves you time.

Private company research is different than public company research

Public companies:

  • are required to file certain information with the federal government, such as 10Ks,
  • publish annual reports for investors, which you may be able to find on their website,
  • have a unique ticker symbol that make them easier to locate.

Get started with research on public companies:

Private companies...

  • aren't required to file yearly reports with the government or shareholders,
  • are harder to find information on, and the information you do find is probably self-reported,
  • may not have a ticker symbol.

Get started with research on private companies:

Science and Technical Research

Science and Technical How-to:

Part of your precedent research may include researching how something works, or new technical developments that could be included in your design. The Libraries have a number of ebooks and video collections to help guide you through learning how something works or to create something new.

 

Original Research Articles:

Research findings and new technological developments are presented in scholarly journal articles, and at conferences.  You can find many articles and conference papers by searching the databases below. 

 

Engineering and Computer Science:

 

Environment and Sustainability: 

 

Health, Wellness, and Disability:

Find Specific Formats