If the original assumptions are justified, the scope of the working paper may be expanded to a published book or article. Working papers are research reports, technical papers, discussion papers and occasional papers. Working papers are sponsored mostly by academic institutions, large organizations and some private sector groups. They are used for research purposes for faculty or others contemplating writing books or articles. Most faculty, doctoral candidates, and others write working papers to help them identify new approaches and new ideas.
Authors often use working papers to gather feedback from colleagues and experts in the field.
Occasionally, they are used to recruit or attract new faculty, or can be a quick way to assess the writing and research abilities of junior faculty members and research associates. Working papers are useful tools to help discover new and conceptual ideas and cutting-edge research and management topics. Harvard Business School working papers are popular among researchers for their strong focus on business and economic subjects, and because of HBS' academic reputation. Baker Library's Working Papers Collection Records for the Working Papers held by Baker Library are available in the Baker Online Catalog . There are over 4,000 current titles in the collection.