Market Research Basics: Definitions of Source Types

These are common types of information sources for market research:

• Industry Associations

  • every industry has an association who cares about collecting information and data about that industry.

• Government Data

  • the U.S. government is the single largest collector of data about the U.S. economy and industries

  • Some agencies you will probably use data from:

    • U.S. Census Bureau

    • Bureau of Labor Statistics

    • Bureau of Economic Analysis

    • Small Business Administration

  • If you are looking for federal government data, you may also consider exploring Alternative Sources for Federal Information and Data.

• Newspapers and News/Opinion Magazines

  • tend to contain investigative journalism as well as commentary/editorials. They often explore current events or ongoing debates in society. Some showcase a variety of perspectives, while others tilt in an ideological direction. Others are intensely ideological or partisan, but they still fall into this general category.

  • reputable & specialist publications (like The Economist and The Wall Street Journal) will report on market conditions, policies and regulations affecting industries, and more.

  • Learn about Evaluating News Sources

• Industry Reports

  • comprehensive accounts of a particular industry, containing a depth of information, facts and statistics (source).

  • emerging trends, financials, major companies, market share, and supply/demand chain are examples of information that can be found in industry reports.

• Trade Publications

  • these keep professionals up to speed on a given industry’s trends, debates, news, professional development opportunities, and best practices. Under-utilized source type.

• Scholarly or journal articles

  • articles about research written by scholars that are reviewed by other scholars before they're published in academic journals

  • You can learn about recent research in your field and develop a broader understanding of your product/service space (source).

  • Learn the best way to read a scholarly article: Anatomy of a Scholarly Article