SEARCH
STRATEGY AND TYPES OF RESOURCES
|
1) DETERMINE WHAT
YOU NEED TO KNOW. | Need or end-user usually determines
sophistication of information. Ask who is the
ultimate recipient of the research and what is it being used for? Will it
be for self-knowledge, a presentation, a report, etc.
- Conduct a brainstorming
session if possible.
- Write down all
information which you might want to know. (Blackboard, notepad,
computer, etc.)
- Write down all questions
or ideas no matter how trivial or "stupid" they may seem at the time.
- Try to organize the
questions into categories. (marketing, new products, etc.)
|
Questions
usually asked in an industry analysis (not all inclusive).
Basic facts
Current and
future state of the industry
- News Trends
and forecasts
- Where is the
industry now?
- Where might it be
in 3-6 months vs 1-3 years?
- Is the industry in
a growth or retreat mode?
- Domestic vs
International Markets
- Is the industry
strong or weak domestically vs overseas?
- Where does the
industry make most of its profit?
- Technology
issues-
- Is the industry
technologically driven?
- How is it effected
by the Internet?
- Legal and
regulatory issues
- What are the
current or future regulatory and legal issues which might effect
the industry?
- What are the major
state, federal or international bodies which might have
influence?
- Are there any
possible pending bills or regulations which might have a
significant impact?
- Market
Share.
- Who are the
dominant players? Why?
- What size of the
market do they own or influence?
- Innovations/New
Products
- Information
Dissemination-What vehicles are used to disseminate information?
- Major PR and media
for the industry including wire services, trade
publications.
- Industry
Associations
- Trade
Shows/Conventions
- Government
Information
|
|
Determine
possible limitations or problems to conducting research if possible.
These can be
time, money, skill of researchers, availability of information.
May not be determinable until research is actually
conducted. |
|
2A) DETERMINE
SUBJECT HEADINGS/KEYWORDS/INDUSTRY TERMINOLOGY
| THESE ARE THE KEY TO UNLOCKING
THE INFORMATION STORAGE CLOSET!
|
Make sure to think
broadly then later you can refine and narrow your search.
|
|
Use the language of
the industry that you are researching. If unsure of terminology,
consult dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri or contact experts
or personnel in the industry. |
|
Use synonyms if
possible. |
|
Try breaking the
question(s) down into their simplest and most basic components if
possible. |
An example is as
follows: You are asked to find information about the automobile
industry and upcoming regulatory or legislative issues
which might impact the industry
Try the following
possible subject headings after breaking down the question into simplest
components:
|
automobile
industry, automobiles, motor vehicles, cars, sport utility vehicles,
trucks |
|
laws,
legislation, regulation, legal |
|
Combine
these terms using the Boolean connectors OR and
AND |
automobile industry OR
automobiles OR motor vehicles OR cars OR
sport utility vehicles OR trucks
AND
laws OR
legislation OR regulation OR
legal |
|
2B) MATCH
QUESTIONS TO TYPES OF SOURCES WHICH MAY PROVIDE ANSWERS
|
- Attempt to match each
question to type(s) of source(s) which might answer them. (See Types of
Reference Sources Chart below)
- Example: You need to find
out the major publications in an industry in order to look at
advertising/marketing of new products in that industry.
- Sources which might help
(from the list below) could be Industry Associations, Media
Source Directories, News Sources to find out which
publications are disseminating information.
TYPES OF
REFERENCE SOURCES
|
|
SOURCES
|
NOTES ON SOURCES
|
|
News Sources
|
wire services,
PR releases, newspapers, magazines, trade publications
|
|
Electronic
Databases |
not usually
free over the Internet |
|
Government
Sources |
local, state
and federal levels. Also foreign countries and international
organizations |
|
Industry
Associations |
promote,
publish newsletters & statistics, lobby concerning issues of
interest to membership especially legal or regulatory, set
standards, trade shows and conventions, directories of members
|
|
Experts
|
can be used as
consultants |
|
Listservs,
discussion & usenet groups |
often a place
to check public opinion, new trends & forecasts, find experts.
"Take all with a critical eye/ear". Good place to post questions,
conduct surveys, promote products, services, etc.
|
|
Market Research
Reports/Wall Street Analyst Reports |
usually not
found in entirety on Web. Can be identified. Sometimes one can
locate tables of contents, some statistics and text. Usually
expensive. |
|
Trade Shows,
Expos, Conventions |
good place to
make contacts, see new products/services, concentrated audience,
obtain trade literature, attend discussions, training. See trends,
etc. |
|
Industry
Specific Directories |
Identify
Companies, statistics, associations, publications
|
|
Media Source
Directories/Media Kits |
Identify
industry specific publications such as magazines, newsletters,
directories. Media kits give advertising/marketing information on a
particular publication including subscription info. , advertising
rates and an editorial calendar. Also included many times are
profiles of readership, etc. |
|
Chambers of
Commerce/Bds. of Trade |
Sometimes have
contacts, can arrange meetings, etc. |
|
Dictionaries,
encyclopedias, thesauri |
Can help define
terms, give synonyms, clarify concepts
|
INDUSTRY OVERVIEWS AND NEWS
ASSOCIATIONS/CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE/BOARDS OF
TRADE
Associations are often
a valuable asset in finding information. They are usually made up of
companies or individuals who have an interest in or are employees of a
particular industry. they may also be made up of individuals who have a
certain hobby, interest or avocation. Many of these associations publish
statistics, reports and directories of membership, have annual meetings or
trade shows and conventions, etc. They may also have strong lobbying
representatives or interests so are aware of legal/regulatory issues which
may effect their industry. Much of the information that they disseminate
is free or of relatively low cost.
Many
organizations will have a .org extension after their names if they have
a website.
You might if you already
know the name of an organization try to search for it using Google, Excite, or AltaVista
TRADE
SHOWS, CONVENTIONS & SEMINARS
- TSNN-Trade shows, but also Seminars
& conferences and Conventions & meetings for all types of
organizations.
- Seminar Finder- helps you
professional seminars, continuing education courses and Web based
training (WBT) programs, on a variety of topics, in cities throughout
the world.
- TechWeb Calendar-Information
Technology Events
- Expo-Point
GOVERNMENT SOURCES
A wide range of information
is published by various government bodies ranging from states to national
and international governments and organizations. Some useful finding tools
to this information may be found at the following sites.
LEGAL AND
REGULATORY INFORMATION
Industries often have
to abide by certain state and federal laws and regulations. If one knows
what the current and possible future laws & regulations are, it may
help in understanding and predicting how they might impact the industry.
To help find these laws and regulations try some of the following:
- Thomas -bills, laws and
pending legislation from the United States Congress
- U.S. Code-actual U.S. laws.
- Code of Federal Regulations
-regulations set forth by various governmental bodies such as the
FCC, FDA,etc.
- Federal Register via
GPO Access. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for
Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and
organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential
Documents.
Newsgroups
It is sometimes useful
to research public opinion on companies and competitors. These sites allow
you to search newsgroups and some mailing lists for discussions about
companies and their products.
EXPERTS/SPEAKERS
- Speakers.com
- Experts.com resource for a rich
variety of Experts who are also Authors, Consultants, Spokespersons and
experienced Expert Witnesses.
MARKET RESEARCH
REPORTS/ANALYST REPORTS
The following links do not
give actual reports, but identify companies which publish and distribute
them.
Author:
James Bondra
This page maintained by: Library Webmaster
Ithaca College Library
Last updated on July 12, 2004
|