Accounting -- Resources for Conducting Accounting Research

This research aid focuses on the resources you will need to when conducting accounting research. It is divided into the following sections:

Accounting Standards
...Financial Accounting Standards
...American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
...Securities & Exchange Commission
...Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
...International Accounting Standards Board
...Government Accounting & Auditing Standards
Analysis and Discussion
Financial Disclosures
Additional Accounting Resource Links

ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

This is the framework on which accountants rely for compliance with GAAP; you can expect requests to focus on locating both the full text and secondary analysis of these documents.

Click HERE to learn more about the accounting standards setting process, the responsibilities of the involved organizations, and the body of accounting documents.

Accounting Research Manager
Locate and search across authoritative, proposal-stage, and non-authoritative accounting and auditing standards from the FASB, EITF, AICPA, SEC, PCAOB and IASB, as well as secondary analysis from the Big Four and select Miller Guides. All the content is cross-referenced, including cites to FASB pronouncements.
NOTE: Due to electronic access restrictions imposed by FASB, the fulltext of the FASB Current Text, Original Pronouncements, and EITF is only available through CCH Financial Accounting Standards.

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (FASB)

Click HERE to learn more about GAAP - "generally accepted accounting principles" - and its body of accounting documents.

FASB Original Pronouncements
Electronic access to the full text of the AICPA and FASB authoritative accounting standards (ARB, APB, SFAS), Interpretations, Concept Statements, Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF), and Implementation Guides. Click on the Securities tab.

FASB Web Site
Full text of FASB's Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) are available in .pdf. No searching capability; browse and download only. Click on the link to Fasb Statements & Interpretations.

Current Text
Industry and topic-based organization of the Original Pronouncements
Click on the Securities tab.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS (AICPA)

Accounting Research Manager
Includes the full text of AICPA accounting and auditing materials, including Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS), Statements of Position (SOP), Issues Papers, Technical Bulletins, and more.

SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC)

Accounting Research Manager
Includes background on SEC requirements, the official text of SEC rules and regulations, and guidance on the application of the SEC requirements.

PUBLIC COMPANY ACCOUNTING OVERSIGHT BOARD (PCAOB)

Accounting Research Manager
Includes the fulltext and analysis of PCAOB rules, orders, proposals, and interpretive guidance.

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (IASB)

Accounting Research Manager
Includes the full text of all International Accounting Standards (IAS), International Financial Reporting Standards (AFRS), and guidance issued by the IASB.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING & AUDITING STANDARDS

Governmental Accounting Standards, Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
Similar to SFAS, GASB's standards provide authoritative guidelines for accounting of governmental entities. Click on the Securities tab.

Government Auditing Standards
General Accounting Office (GAO) Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), commonly referred to as the "yellow book," provides technical guidelines for audits of government organizations, programs, activities, functions, and government assistance received by contractors, nonprofit organizations, and other nongovernment organizations. These standards encompass auditors' professional qualifications, the quality of audit effort, and the characteristics of professional and meaningful audit reports.

ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION

Accounting Research Manager
Includes accounting and auditing interpretation and analysis written by experienced CPAs, including many Big Four partners, and select analysis from the Miller Guide series.

CCH U.S. Master GAAP Guide
Guide to understanding and applying GAAP; similar to the Miller GAAP Guide.

Miller Guides
The popular "Miller" series is an excellent source of contextual discussion and analysis of accounting and auditing standards. You have electronic access to the select titles in the following sources:

Accounting Research Manager

LexisNexis Academic
Click on Business>Accounting

Articles

provide contextual analysis of a standard's application, including practical examples
demonstrate how a new or amended pronouncement changes the required disclosure
highlight new and forthcoming standards and anticipate impact on the industry

The best databases for searching accounting journals:
ABI/Inform
Business Source Premier

Books

Intermediate Accounting (Kiesco and Weygandt). HF 5635 .K5
Accountants' Handbook (Carmichael and Rosenfield). BUS REF HF 5621 .A22 v1-2
The Quality Audit Handbook (Smith). BUS REF HF 5667 .Q35 1997
Brink's Modern Internal Auditing (Moeller and Witt). BUS REF HF 5668 .25 .B74 1999
Encyclopedia of Accounting Systems (Plank and Plank). BUS REF HF 5635 .E54 1994
Interpretation and Application of International Accounting Standards. BUS REF HF 5626 .E67
International Accounting and Finance Handbook (Choi). BUS REF HF 5686 .I56 H36
International Accounting and Reporting Issues (United Nations). BUS REF HF 5686 .I56 I55

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

As support for disclosures in financial statements and footnotes, a public company's management often looks to the auditor to provide guidance on how other companies have disclosed similar transactions or events. Typically, accountants look to the following types of sources for this information:

Checklists of required disclosures that address existing GAAP and SEC reporting requirements.
Practical examples drawn from financial statements, footnotes, and Management, Discussion & Analysis sections of the 10K.

Checklists

Accounting Research Manager
Includes checklists from the AICPA, SEC, and Miller Guides.

Disclosure Examples
Based on data drawn from corporate annual reports, the following two sources provide examples of financial footnote disclosures tied back to the relevant technical accounting standards.

Miller GAAP Financial Statement Disclosures Manual
Accounting Standards>Illustrations & Examples>Miller Interpretations and Other Resources

Accounting Trends and Techniques, AICPA (PRINT ONLY)
-- BUS REF HF 5681 .B2 A5

Thomson ONE Banker
Use Thomson ONE to conduct searches across multiple SEC filings in order to identify real-life examples of specific disclosures. Unique to financial disclosure research is the need to search for keywords in specific sections of a filing, most often financial footnotes, financial footnotes, and the MD&A.

Pull down the "jump to" box at the top of the page and select Thomson Research to access the Full Text SEC Filings search template.

Accountants regularly need to identify existing accounting standards for specific countries and compare them with U.S. GAAP. Additionally, in their expanding roles as business advisors, they gather information on country accounting, tax, and corporate structures, local rules and regulations, and other risks related to conducting business abroad.

Two frequent applications for accountants using international information are:
Identification and comparison of international accounting standards
International business operations

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Convergence

Understanding International Financial Accounting Standards (IFRS)
Ernst & Young special report published in the Financial Times, October 6, 2004.

GAAP Convergence 2002
Annual survey published by the International Forum on Accountancy Development (IFAD) with six large international accounting firms. It highlights the trends and directions of 59 countries in the convergence of their national accounting standards with IFRS.

Turn to the IASB both for current and forthcoming standards and the movement towards convergence of international accounting standards across countries. Check the FASB, International Forum on Accountancy Development (IFAD), International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the European Union's activities on convergence as well.

News About International Financial Reporting
This site does an excellent job of summarizing new developments, pointing you to relevant web sites, and identifying new publications, including those comparing IFRS and Country-Specific GAAP. This site it sponsored by Deloitte.

Big Four accounting firms also publish white and analysis on the implications of convergence.
Ernst & Young
Deloitte & Touche
PricewaterhouseCoopers
KPMG Peat Marwick

Country-Specific Accounting Standards

Links to International and Country-Specific Web Site
Comprehensive list of related web sites, including: government and regulatory accounting organizations, international accounting organizations, collections of security exchanges, professional accounting organizations worldwide (broken out by country), and academic organizations focused on international accounting, accounting standards setting bodies worldwide, and collections of other accounting links.

Miller European GAAP Guide
Available on LexisNexis Academic, from the home page, click Business>Accounting, select publication from Sources box.

Many Big Four accounting firms publish comparative analysis of country accounting standards and U.S. GAAP.
Ernst & Young
Deloitte & Touche
PricewaterhouseCoopers
KPMG Peat Marwick

ABI Inform
Look to accounting journals for analysis of international accounting standards

ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTING RESOURCE LINKS

AICPA's CPA Links
One of the best collections of links to accounting sources on the web; also includes related links, such as finance, tax, government.

Tax and Accounting Sites Directory
Don't be mislead by the name; includes excellent links to both accounting, tax, and related financial web sites.

Financial Portals
Recommended sites from the Goizueta Finance Research Aid.