Finding Industry Reports at the UI Library: Home

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an invaluable resource when doing industry research.  Every business database (and some non-business databases!) will have NAICS as a search option under Advanced Search.  With a NAICS code you can target results that specifically address the industry you are researching.

1. Click here to go to the NAICS lookup page.

2. In the search box on the left hand side enter one or two keywords that describe your industry,

3. When you find one that is a good fit copy the 6 digit code.  You can also click on the code to get a brief description and any cross references that may be available.

4. Paste into the advanced search page of the database you are using.  Remember to use the drop down menu next to the search box to tell the system you are searching by NAICS code.

It may seem like an extra step, but a NAICS code can be a huge time-saver, especially if you are having trouble finding results specific to your industry!

1. Start by changing the dropdown to the right of the search box.  The fourth option in the list is "Industry."

2. From there, you can use keywords or NAICS codes to search for information about an industry of your choice. 

There are two methods for finding reports:

Keyword:

1. On the BSP homepage click on the Industry button.
2. Put a check mark next to the relevant industry or industries. (If you did not find a good industry match, try being less specific and using fewer words.)
3. Click "Add" at the top of the list.
4. You will probably want to add "and United States" to the query in the search box after the parentheses
5. Click "Search"
6. Expand "Publication Type" on the menu on the left-hand side.
7. Look for "Industry Profile" in the menu. If it it there check the box and click "Update".
8. Click the PDF icon to get the report.

NAICS search:

1. Find the NAICS code for your industry. See box to the left.
2. On the BSP homepage click "Advanced Search"
3. Type the NAICS code into the search box and use the drop down menu to specify a NAICS field search. (Listed under the unintuitive "IC")
4. Follow steps 6-8 above.

To find industry reports, use the Advanced Search option.  You can enter keywords or a NAICS code, and in the Document Type box, select Industry Reports.

NetAdvantage is a great resource for finding in-depth industry reviews for major industries. If you industry is covered by NetAdvantage, this will probably be your best resource, so check here first.

Once you are in the database:

1. Click the Industries tab
2. Use the Industry Surveys drop down to select your industry
3. There is a PDF link on the left-hand side

You can also search by company under the Companies tab, and then click on the Industry Surveys link on the left inside the company report.

1. Try being less specific. Industry reports are pretty broad. Instead of looking for an industry report on "luxury four wheel drive hybrids" try looking for the industry report on "automobiles" and filling in the fine details with magazine, newspaper, and journal articles. Also, use the search function (Ctrl-F) to quickly search general industry reports for any information that may be relevant to your sub-industry.

2. Try some synonyms. For instance, in Business Source Premier "Beer" brings up the industry reports, while in ABI/Inform you would use "brewing" and in NetAdvantage you would need to search for "Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco".

3. Try searching for a company report about a major company in your industry, and then look for links to an industry report.

4. Business Source Premier has a lot of SWOT reports for companies, and ABI/Inform has a lot of Market Reports. Both databases are good sources for magazine articles. You might be able to extract some useful industry information.

5. Lexis-Nexis does a good job of tracking industry news, but the search is buried. Off the homepage do a search for any company in the Get Company Info box. Click on the entry for the company and then click on the industry tab at the top of the screen. From here you can search for an industry by keyword, SIC code, or browse the industry hierarchy. Once you have found an industry, click on it to go to the overview and then click on the "Recent News" tab on the left.

6. Use Google Scholar to search for any recent scholarly papers, theses, or dissertations that may have been written about your industry.

7. If you find a report that you would have to pay for on the Web, check with the Library first to see if we can get it for you via InterLibrary loan.

8. At any step in the process, feel free to contact Robert (contact info on right) for assistance!