Your Librarian
Search Tips
Find and use NAICS codes for specific industries related to your project to get articles about those industries.
Work backward and start with a company you're familiar with to find its related industry.
Look for suggested topics or subjects to link to related articles.
Track down the trade association for your industry to get reports or data.
Contact a company directly to get insider information.
See your librarian if you get stuck!
Recommended Databases
Databases for industry reports and analysis
- 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.
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- ABI/Inform This link opens in a new window
Contains articles on business, advertising, marketing, economics and finance.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowContains company and industry research, company data, annual reports and industry reports.
Statistics by industry, company, or brand
- 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.
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Advanced: Find Statista tutorials on advanced topics.
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Segmentation
The Marketline industry reports contained in Business Source Premier and the Statista Industry reports are two good bets for finding segmentation information. The Marketline reports often address segmentation directly, and the Statista reports often break consumers into groups by different criteria such as age and geography.
How to Use Databases for Industry Profiles & Market Research Reports
How to Locate Industry Reports in Business Source Premier
- 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 Industry Profile limit in the Publication Type section.
How to Locate Industry Information in Mergent
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowContains company and industry research, company data, annual reports and industry reports.
How to Use Statista for Industry Analysis
- 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.
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How to Use Mergent to 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 windowContains company and industry research, company data, annual reports and industry reports.
Recommended Websites
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau: Economic CensusEvery five years (2002, 2007, 2012, etc.) for every industry. Statistics for U.S., states, metro areas, counties, and cities.
- globalEDGEInternational business and trade information on over 200 countries, the 50 U.S. states, as well as nearly two dozen industry sectors, and many of the world’s trade blocs. Created by the International Business Center and the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a GlanceThese pages display a ‘snapshot’ of national data obtained from different BLS surveys and programs. Many programs also produce additional industry detail, including state, county, and metropolitan area data.