Your Librarian
Search Tips
Take advantage of location or region search filters to find articles focused on your country of interest.
Find and use NAICS codes for specific industries related to your project to get articles about those industries; you can also limit searches for companies to those with specific NAICS codes.
Look for suggested topics or subjects to link to related articles.
See your librarian if you get stuck!
Look Up Industry Codes
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)Find the NAICS Code for your industry. “The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.”
- Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) SystemSIC codes were last updated in 1987 and are no longer maintained by the federal government, but may still appear on information you find. They have up to four digits; the more digits, the more specific the classification is.
Recommended Databases for Company and Industry Information
- Business Source Premier This link opens in a new windowLook for the "Industry Profiles" on the right side
- Statista This link opens in a new windowComprehensive reports on over 1,000 industry topics. Access to 1 million statistics – ready to use in PPT, XLS and PNG. Includes COVID-19-related data and infographics, including supply chain and other economic impact summaries on various industry sectors. Includes reports on individual countries.
Intro: Watch a short tutorial on searching in Statista.
This link opens in a new window
Advanced: Find Statista tutorials on advanced topics.
This link opens in a new window - Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowContains company and industry research, company data, annual reports and industry reports.
- ABI/Inform This link opens in a new windowFull text articles from over 2000 industry journals and trade magazines worldwide. Good source of company and industry intelligence.
- Westlaw This link opens in a new windowLegal and law related material, including searches of United States and international codes. Also includes extensive current archives of news sources, a Company Investigator.
- ITA Industry ReportsThe International Trade Administration produces reports on economic indicators and current issues affecting industries that export out of the United States.
- Occupational Outlook HandbookA guide to career information about hundreds of occupations, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The "Job Outlook" section provides an outlook for the industry overall.
- RAND CorporationThe RAND Corporation conducts research on a variety of public policy topics, including entrepreneurship.
Industry Profiles & Market Research Reports
- Business Source Premier This link opens in a new windowContains articles about business, marketing, management, accounting, finance and economic, as well as company and industry reports, and country and market research profiles.
Watch a short EBSCO tutorial on searching Business Source Premier.
This link opens in a new window
Tip: Try using the special report categories in the Browse box.
Look up competitors
You can use the Advanced Search features in Mergent to create a list of companies within a particular industry. Use the NAICS lookup to find companies within an industry.
“The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.” (http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics)
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowMuch more detailed news, financial, leadership, product, competitor information. Has a special search for private companies.