Commercial Data in Academic Business Research: A Study on Use and Access

Demands for data from business faculty are both increasing and increasingly challenging for libraries to meet. Acquiring and providing access to data, particularly proprietary data resources from commercial vendors, can be costly and complex. Libraries need more information to evaluate their investments and strategies in data collections and services. In this study, the author reviews scholarly articles published by researchers at Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) institutions from 2014 to 2019 to identify the commercial data resources used and if the library facilitated access to these resources. Findings show to what extent commercial data resources are being used in academic business research, what resources are being used, and how libraries are supporting data-based research.