Accounting


Accounting Standards
---International Standards
Auditing Standards
Dictionaries
Directories and Accounting Firms
Educational Sources and Tutorials
General Sources
Handbooks
Indexes and Periodical Guides
Journals
Professional Organizations
Tax Accounting
Web Sites for the Tax Practitioner

Accounting Standards

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the standard setting body for financial accounting and reporting for the United States. FASB is an independent agency whose authority lies in the enforcement of its standards by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the AICPA.

Each FASB standard is issued in draft form for public comment as an Exposure Draft.

The final pronouncement of FASB is a Statement of Accounting Standards. Each statement and its interpretation is published separately as it is issued: Statement of Financial Accounting Standards. Statements and Interpretations. (Reference HF 5601 .S83) The full text, status, and summaries of all are also available electronically.

The statements are cumulated as the: Accounting Standards. Current Text. (Reference HF 5616 .U5 A3501) and Original Pronouncements. (Reference HF 5616 .U5 F53702)

The Accounting Principles Board (APB) preceded the Financial Accounting Standards Board as the standard setting body from 1959 to 1973. Its pronouncements are available as: APB Accounting Principles. AICPA. (Reference HF 5601 .A85)

The Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are the fundamental principles of accounting. They are published annually as: GAAP: Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. (Reference HF 5635 .G22)

Sources that interpret the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles include:
     Miller GAAP Implementation Manual (HF 5616. U5 M525 1999)
     Miller GAAP for Not-for-profit Organizations (HF 5686. N56 M55 1998)
     Miller Not-for-profit Reporting: GAAP, Tax, Financial, and Regulatory Requirements
          (HF 5686 .N56 M55 2000)
    Wiley GAAP 2006  (Reference HF 5635 .G22 2006)

Commerce Clearing House's Accountancy Law Reporter (Reference HF 5617 .C6) reports state laws on accountancy. It is arranged by state, and is continuously updated.

The AICPA's Accounting Trends & Techniques (Reference HF 5681 .B2 A35) is an annual survey of accounting practices followed in 600 stockholders' annual reports.

Other organizations that set accounting standards include:

GAAP for Governments (Reference HJ 9773 .G33 1999)
Interpretation and application of GAAP for state and local governments.

Private Company Financial Reporting 
Draft proposal text shared by the AICPA and FASB.

SEC Accounting Rules Commerce Clearing House. Loose-leaf. (Reference KF 1446 .A6 U5)

International Standards

European Accounting Guide (Reference HF 5616 .E85 E97 1995)
Describes the accounting policies and practices in each country in Europe.

IAS PLUS
Provides an introduction to the International Forum on Accountancy Development and its work, including links to various versions of the GAAP 2000 - Survey of National Accounting Rules covering 53 countries, the GAAP 2001 - Survey of National Accounting Rules covering 62 countries, and GAAP Convergence 2002 covering 59 countries.

International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
Presents international accounting standards - only summaries are available to non-subscribers.

International Federation of Accountants (IFAC),
Issues international standards

Interpretation and Application of International Accounting Standards: IAS. 4 vol. (HF 5626 .I572 1998)
Summarizes and interprets the IASC's international standards.

Transnational Accounting (TRANSACC) 2nd ed. 3 vol. and suppl. (Reference HF 5626 .T72 2001)

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Auditing Standards

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires auditors to adhere to Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). These are interpreted in the Statement on Auditing Standards (Reference HF 5667 .A54), and the Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards (Reference HF 5667 .A542).

Auditing Standards and Procedures Manual (Reference HF 5667 .A8337 1993)
Guide to the requirements and objectives of the AICPA's Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS).

GAO Yellow Book
Federal government auditors are required to adhere to the Government Auditing Standards , published by the U.S. Government  Accountability Office. State audit agencies also rely on these federal standards, popularly known as the GAO Yellow Book. For further information and links to GAO audit reports, visit the GAO home page.

Wiley Practitioner's Guide to GAAS (Reference HF 5616.U5 W55 2005)

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Dictionaries

Accounting and Financial Dictionary (VentureLine)
Scroll down for access to an extensive glossary.

Accounting, Budgeting, and Finance: A Reference for Managers (Reference HG 151 .W62 1990)
Basic definitions of 475 financial and accounting terms, with extended treatment of major topics and bibliographies to specialized sources.

Accounting Terminology Guide
Glossary provided by the New York State Society of CPAs.

Dictionary of Accounting 2nd ed. (Reference HF 5621 .C64 2001)

Dictionary of Accounting 2nd ed. (Reference HF 5621 .E77 1985 and online)

The History of Accounting; an International Encyclopedia (Reference HF 5605 .H573 1996)

The International Dictionary of Accounting Acronyms (Reference HF 5621 .M67 1998)

Kohler's Dictionary for Accountants 6th ed. (Reference HF 5621 .K6 1983)

Management Accounting Glossary (Reference HF 5657.4 .M33 1991)

Oxford Dictionary of Accounting  (Reference HF 5621 .D53 2005)

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Directories and Accounting Firms

CPA Directory

Emerson's Directory of Leading U.S. Accounting Firms (Reference HF 5616 .U5 E47 2000-2001)

List of CPA Firms
Directory of CPA firms in the U.S. and worldwide.

Deloitte

Ernst & Young, LLP

KPMG

PricewaterhouseCoopers

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Educational Sources and Tutorials

The Accounting Hall of Fame
Contains brief biographies of those who have made significant contributions to accounting practice and theory in the Membership in Hall section.

Accounting Tutor
University of Florida resource providing information on accounting research methods.

AccountingEducation.com
Features current events, news, job information and links to many other accounting sites of interest to academic accounting professionals.

Between the Sheets
Educational resources in accounting from Biz/Ed.

The Emanuel Saxe Distinguished Lectures in Accounting
A series of guest lectures sponsored by the Department of Accountancy at Baruch College of the City University of New York, dating from 1973 to 1997.

Tax History Museum
Tax Analysts has created this illustrated narrative covering American tax history from 1660 to the present. Also visit the Tax History Project home page.

ValuationResources.Com
Edited by Jerry O. Peters, CPA, ASA, ABV, CBA, ValuationResources.com guides CPA's and business appraisers to business valuation resources.

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Career Resources

CareerBank.com - lists job openings in accounting, finance, banking, and insurance.

Careers in Accounting

Great Jobs for Accounting Majors  (Reference HF 5616 .U5 G643 2005)

The Occupational Outlook Handbook has sections on:

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General Sources

Rutgers Accounting Web
An excellent place to start. Extensive site providing accounting data and links to information on all aspects of accounting.

Accountancy
Part of the UK Resource Directory Network, the Social Science Information Gateway provides many links to accounting resources.

Accountant's Guide to the Internet. 2nd ed. (HF 5625.7 .C63 2000)

Accounting
Rutgers University guide to accounting resources.

Accounting Data Sources (Pepperdine University's School of Business and Management)
Links include a site for IRS tax forms and an online numerical listing of SIC codes.

Accounting Resources at LSU
Links to many other accounting sites, including state government and major accounting firm sites.

AuditNet.org
Despite its name, this is a wide-ranging site for accountants and auditors, with links to many useful resources.

CPAlinks
A starting point for online accounting research; indexes over 1,000 Web sites.

Prentice Hall Finance and Accounting Internet Guide (HF 5625.7 .M59 1999)
Extensive guide to the Internet, describing job search, exam and review course, continuing professional education, government, and professional resources.

SEC - Office of the Chief Accountant - Information for Accountants
Information from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SmartPros Accounting
A portal to current resources.

Tax and Accounting Sites Directory
Dennis Schmidt, tax professor at the University of Northern Iowa, maintains this collections of links to government, academic, association, and publishing sites on tax and accounting.

WebCPA
Links to tools and resources for the electronic accountant.

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Handbooks

Accountants' Handbook 7th ed. (Reference HF 5621 .A22 1991)

Accounting Reference Desktop  (Reference HF 5657.4 .B7195 2002)

Barron's Accounting Handbook (Reference HF 5635 .S586 1990)

Brink's Modern Internal Auditing  6th ed.  (Reference HF 5668.25 .B74 2005)

Cashin's Handbook for Auditors 2nd ed. (Reference HF 5667 .C32 1986)

Controllership, the Work of the Managerial Accountant  7th ed.  (Reference HG 4026 .R643 2004)

Cost Accounting: A Comprehensive Guide  (Reference HF 5686 .C8 B673 2001)

Handbook of Accounting and Auditing 2nd ed. and supplements (Reference HF 5635 .H22 1996)

Management Accountant's Standard Desk Reference (Reference HF 5657.4 .S45 1990)

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Indexes

Accounting and Tax Index (1992- ) (Index Tables, Floor 4)
Continues the AICPA's annual Accountant's Index Supplement, 1951-1991. (Reference Z 7164 .C81 A5 SUPPL)

Accounting Articles Commerce Clearing House (Index Tables, Floor 4)
Loose-leaf service providing an annotated list of major accounting articles and books. Arranged according to a unique classified subject arrangement with an author index.

For general business indexes and additional specialized indexes, visit the Indexes for Business Web page.

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Guides to Periodicals

Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Accounting (Reference HF 5601 .C33 9th ed. 2004/2005) lists and describes over 300 journals.

Financial Journals and Serials; An Analytical Guide to Accounting, Banking, Finance, Insurance, and Investment Periodicals (Reference Z 7164 .F5 F53 1986 Floor 4) is an annotated bibliography of serial publications that provide financial information.

International Guide to Accounting Journals by J. David Spiceland and Surendra Agrawal (Reference HF 5657 .S68 1988) describes 280 journals published in 33 countries.

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Journals

Selected journals are available directly from their own Web sites:

WebCPA's free e-newsletters
Subscribe to free online news publication for accountants.

AICPA Publications
Provides the Journal of Accountancy (full text accessed through the "monthly issues" links), The CPA Letter, The Practicing CPA, and other newsletters. Also consult Press Releases for the latest news.

The CPA Journal
CPA Journal Archives
Online version of the publication of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

In addition, full-text articles in many accounting and tax journals are available through such online databases and indexes as Academic Universe (Lexis-Nexis), ABI/INFORM, and Business Source Elite. Availability of individual titles can be determined by using Find It at the Databases and Article Indexes page.

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Professional Organizations

AICPA
Provides news, information for members, conference schedules, CPA links, Taxation topics, and more. For links to state level associations try AICPA States or the sites listed below.

Illinois CPA Society
The news section is available to the public, but all other areas of this extensive site are for members only. Several states have open sites. Try the following states:

Additional professional organizations of interest to accountants include:

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Tax Accounting


Hierarchy of Authority Among Tax Sources

  1. The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) is the primary authority.
  2. Treasury Regulations - Legislative Regulations usually have greater authority than Interpretive Regulations.
  3. Court decisions - the higher the court, the greater the precedential value.
  4. Published IRS rulings - Revenue rulings and revenue procedures are binding on IRS personnel, but not on courts. Rulings represent the current official policy of the IRS.
  5. Private letter rulings - binding on the IRS only with respect to the particular taxpayer who requested the ruling. The Internal Revenue Code Section 6110 expressly prohibits their use as legal precedents by either the IRS or taxpayers.
  6. Text material in tax services - rarely given weight by the IRS or the courts.

Selected Tax Sources

U.S. Tax Code On-Line
Provides access to the complete text of the United States Internal Revenue Code, Title 26 of the U.S. Code (26 USC) in a variety of ways.

Internal Revenue Manual  (Reference HJ 3252 .I5)
CCH looseleaf service.

Code of Federal Regulations
Online access to federal tax regulations.

U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Provide a variety of tax and IRS resources, including news, forms and instructions, and IRS publications. Forms are also available at Fedworld.

Federal Courts Finder
This site at Emory University provides links to the official sites of the Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit Court and the courts of all 11 circuits and the District of Columbia.

The RIA Academic Advantage Library is an online tax research service available only by password in Milner Library or to currently enrolled tax accounting students at Illinois State University.

Commerce Clearing House (CCH) Standard Federal Tax Reporter. (Reference KF6365 .C62) and CCH web site, which provides news to subscribers and information about their products and services.

Corporate Tax Digest Warren, Gorham & Lamont, 3rd ed. (Reference KF 6460.3 .C38 1997 and supplements)

Estate Tax
Income Tax
Cornell University's Legal Information Institute provides an overview of each topic and links to laws.

FindLaw
Includes: The Tax Code, federal tax forms with instruction, and links to other tax sites.

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Web Sites for the Tax Practitioner

Citizens for Tax Justice

irs.com
Directory of links to tax sites; especially useful are the state links.

Robert D. Burch Center for Tax Policy and Public Finance
Affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, the Center fosters "informed discussion of tax policies of national significance." Includes Working Papers in full-text, conference paper abstracts, course syllabi, and more.

Tax and Accounting Sites Directory
Developed by University of Northern Iowa; the sites include U.S. Code, U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals decisions. Includes some international tax sites.

Tax Analysts
A wide ranging site concerning taxes. They offer moderated bulletins on a wide variety of tax topics. To receive a bulletin and participate in the discussion, you must subscribe. Also provides archives of previous postings for browsing.

Tax Policy and Administration
Provides an international perspective from the World Bank.

TaxLinks
Includes all IRS revenue rulings since 1954.

Tax-Related Primary Sources on the Internet
Organizes links to tax resources by level of authority. Takes a legalistic approach to tax research.

UConn's Tax Pages
University of Connecticut's tax home page with links to Tax Resources (http://www.taxresources.com), listed above.

Vertex Tax Cybrary
Provides news and information on sales tax, property tax and internet tax, plus articles in the Tax Outlook section.

willyancey.com
Will Yancey' home page providing accounting and tax links, many of which direct the user to Tax and Accounting Sites (http://www.taxsites.com), listed above.

WorldWideWeb Tax
Directory of tax related resources available online.

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Milner Library, Illinois State University
Page Contact: Kay Weir
Last Modified: 2008-11-18 12:13:01