This tutorial will help you learn about trade sources:
Later in this tutorial you will be using the website on the right side of the screen. For now, just use the arrows below to advance to the next page.
Trade sources provide information for readers who are interested in a particular industry or trade.
Trade publications or "the trades" are often sponsored by trade associations, which are professional organizations whose members are affiliated with a particular industry.
Trade publication articles are written by industry experts or reporters who know how to find information about specific types of businesses. The articles usually contain jargon that would be familiar to subscribers of the publication.
In addition to industry news and trends, trade publications may include:
For example, while a general business magazine such as Forbes might occasionally publish articles on the auto industry, the trade publication called Automotive News will devote every issue to auto industry news.
Question: If you are looking for information on Kroger, a grocery retailer, which publication is most likely to have articles on the company and its industry?
When you find a trade association's website, check for menu headings like the ones listed below to find information for your research assignment:
Note: Trade associations can provide links to research studies on their websites, but sometimes access is restricted to the association's members. It's always worth checking though--even limited access to a report may provide leads for your research.
Now take a look at the website on the right side of the page. Frequent users of this website are most likely affiliated with which industry?
As you scroll down and review the ICA website, you will notice that the association provides several services for its members, including a trade publication called CAR WASH magazine.
Click here now to go a database that has full-text articles from trade publications.
On the right side of the screen, you should now see the search screen for the EBSCO Business Source Complete database (if you're on campus) or a login screen (if you're off campus).
If you're off campus and the login screen appears, type your Butler ID and password to access Business Source Complete.
Business Source Complete is a database of business information, and it is one of many business databases available to Butler students through the Library website. It is also one of the easiest databases to use to find trade publication articles.
Earlier in this tutorial, you reviewed a trade website for the carwash industry. Now let's try to find trade publications for another industry.
Assume you are looking for information on plastic bottles, such as the kind used for bottled water or soft drinks.
Start by entering the phrase plastic bottles in the search box on the screen to the right. Then click the green Search button.
You should now see a Results page. Take note of the total number of results found.
At this point in your search process, the results will be from a variety of publication types, including scholarly journals, newspapers, research reports, and popular magazines.
To narrow your results to just trade publications, scroll down the Results page and look in the left column for the heading called "Source Types." Under this heading, click on the box next to "Trade Publications."
Notice that the total number of results has decreased or "narrowed."
Now scroll through the first few pages of results, and look at the publication titles listed in the citations. Here's an example of where you would find the publication title in a citation on Business Source Complete:
As you look at the results, you may see articles from publications such as Plastics News, Popular Plastics & Packaging, or Beverage Industry.
These are trade publications with articles written by industry experts. Almost every issue of these publications will have news or statistics related to the topic of "plastic bottles."
Remember--you can use this same search technique in the Business Source Complete database to find trade publication articles on many other topics. The articles will help you collect information on trends, products, services, and major companies within a specific industry.
Try this the next time you need information for your business research assignment.
Congratulations! You've now completed the tutorial on trade sources. If you have questions, please contact your Business Librarian.
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