Industry Research: Trade Magazines & Associations
Trade Magazines/Publications
- ABI/INFORM CollectionArticles from trade publications, professional literature, business magazines, etc.
- Advanced Web Searching (tips)Use these tips for advanced web searching to locate trade and professional literature for your industry.
- Directory of AssociationsFree online directory of professional and industry associations.
- Business Source PremierCovers scholarly articles for all business subjects: marketing, management, economics, finance, accounting, international business, and more. Also includes financial data, MarketLine company profiles, Harvard Business Review articles, SWOT analyses, and more.
What are industry associations?
Also called trade associations, these organizations can be an excellent source of industry information. An association might collect data not available from any other source. Try to identify the associations for your industry. Then try to find the association's homepage and publications.
Examples of associations:
- American Hotel & Lodging Association
- Consumer Electronics Association
- National Retail Federation
- Society of the Plastics Industry
Often, however, the best information is limited to members of the association.
What are trade publications?
Also called:
- trade journals
- industry journals
- industry magazines
- professional magazines
These are publications written for professionals working in particular industies.
Examples:
- Advertising Age
- Billboard [music industry]
- Chain Store Age
- Hotel & Motel Management
- Nursing Times
- Plastics & Rubber Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
- WWD: Women's Wear Daily
The articles from these magazines can include news, expert commentary, and statistics not available anyplace else.
Most industry magazines have some free content online, but the library's databases provide articles from thousands of these magazines in a single search.
