Industry Research

This guide will help you with performing industry research.

Please select a tab on the left or an image below to view information on locating industry codes, reports, news, and more.

If you need assistance, feel free to contact WKU's Business Librarian via her profile on the left.

Source: Icons created by justicon, Freepik, and GOWI - Flaticon

• Identify your industry. In order to perform more efficient research, you'll want a clearly defined industry to start with.
• Try related terms for keyword searches, like "automobile" or "car" or "vehicle." Databases may have different terms for the same or similar industry.
• While some resources may discuss an industry in broad terms, others may focus on more specific portions of that industry. For example, you may need to retrieve information on the retail industry, department stores, variety stores, or discount department stores depending upon the source used.
• Try multiple databases. Each covers different industries, with some overlap.
• Industry code designations, like NAICS or SIC codes, are NOT always uniform across databases. You may have to adjust your search as you use different databases.
• Use trade or professional associations as they often produce and publish helpful reports and data.

Source: University of Pittsburgh Library System. (2022). Industry Research @ Pitt. https://pitt.libguides.com/industryresearch