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Home > Research Help > Business > Industry > Industry and Marketing Research Guide
- Consult multiple resources. No one resource includes the same companies, covers all industries or provides the same information.
- Companies may be assigned a primary industry code (SIC or NAICS) yet encompass other industries. SIC or NAICS code assignments for a company may vary across resources, although the primary industry code should be consistent.
- Know what you are gathering and evaluate your information for credibility, accuracy, currency and consistency.
- What information is included?
- How often is it updated?
- Who releases the data?
- How was it gathered?
- Be consistent when comparing data. Methodologies and time intervals for gathering or calculating information may differ from one resource to another. If you are comparing companies or industries, try to compare them by resource ("apples to apples").
- Read the Introduction or User's Guide or consult the supplier for its methodology or definitions.
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