MANUFACTURING RESEARCH

GUIDE
Kelsey Olivero

OCTOBER 6, 2015
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Table of Contents
1. Front Matters
1.1.
What is in this Guide?
1.2.
Who is this Guide for?
1.3.
What does this Guide assume?
1.4.
Organization of this Guide
1.5.
Tips for Using this Guide

2
2
3
3
4

2. Manufacturing Industries and Careers

2.1.
MnManufacturing Careers (is this correct)
2.2.
Manufacturing Job Resources

5
6
7

3. Professional Exploration
3.1.
Manufacturers Monthly
3.2.
United States Department of Labor

8
9
10

4. Research Information
4.1.
Engineering Village
4.2.
National Technical Information Service Database

11
12
13

What is in this Guide?

This guide includes seven sources set up to guide a college student looking
into a career in manufacturing. Some of these sites will assist in learning about
working in this industry. Others will allow for a more professional research. There
are sources set in place for the reader to keep up with current developments in the
manufacturing field. As your college years progress and you develop
professionally you will be able to use more and more out of each site and be able to
bring these resources into your working experience.

Who is this Guide for?

This guide is designed for undergraduate students attending Pennsylvania
State University. Whether you are already in a desired major or are looking to fit
your major to your passion for manufacturing this guide will be equally as helpful.
Depending on what year you are in college the amount of sources that may apply
will vary. But if you use this site throughout you four years of school this guide is
set up to aid in staying up to date with the industry and finding a job that fits your
passion.

What does this Guide Assume?

This guide assumes first and foremost that you are a Pennsylvania State
University student interested in a career in manufacturing. It also assumes that you
are looking to learn about the multiple industries in manufacturing. Some of these
sources will require a subscription or that you access them on a campus computer.
With saying this it is also assumed that you are comfortable with searching the
internet and have used the librarys website before.

Organization of this Guide

This research guide contains four sections that outline how to purse a career
in manufacturing. It starts with the section Manufacturing Industries and Careers
which encompasses two sites about jobs in the manufacturing industry and which
universities support these future endeavors. Then the next section, Professional
Exploration, addresses standards put into place in specific industries. Hopefully at
this point in you research you have narrowed down a major of study or potential
industry. If so continuing on you will find that the monthly professional journals
will keep you up to date with news in you desired field. Lastly, the Research
Information section will provide additional journals or research in your field of
interest.

Tips for Using this Guide

Before beginning this guide there are a few things to keep in mind.
Be sure to be using a campus computer or note that some
resources may need a subscription.
Make sure to read all the Tips they are attached to each
source to make sure you are getting the most out of these
resources.
Just because this guide is set up for college students doesnt
mean that these sources wouldnt be helpful for a working
individual.

Manufacturing Industries and Careers

MnManufacturing Careers
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities
Website
Location and Availability
https://www.iseek.org/industry/manufacturing/careers/careers.html
Available online without subscription.

Description:
This websites provides information pertaining to careers in manufacturing and the
manufacturing industry. If you follow the link above it will take you straight to the
Manufacturing Careers tab. This spot of the website includes information based on careers in
engineering, production, logistics, maintenance, installation, management and more. Under each
of these career paths it goes into medial hourly wage, education required, what should interest
you if you want to pursue this career and even typical work tasks. Also along the right side of the
website there is a Learn more column which will send you to links such as businesses in this
cluster. Also under the manufacturing careers there is a tab Learn about Manufacturing
Industries, which list 14 industries where these manufacturing jobs are found. Such as Food,
Chemical, Textile Mills, and Paper manufacturing. Once you find which area of manufacturing
you would like to have a career in you can take this next step to find out what industry you are
passionate about.

Tips:

Research each of the career paths even if you think you know which career path you
are interested in because you might learn about a part of manufacturing you didnt
even know existed.
Are you environmentally friendly? Visit the Green Manufacturing link.
Keep a look out on the right column of the website. It contains useful resources and
links for even more information.

Manufacturing Job Resources

Manufacturing Institute
Website

Location and Availability

http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/Research/Facts-About-Manufacturing/Economy-andJobs/Economy-and-Jobs.aspx
Available online without subscription.

Description:
This websites is the authority on the attraction, qualification, and development of worldclass manufacturing talent. Its goal is to educate on the importance of the manufacturing
industry and promote for jobs in this field. On this website you will find in the top tabs: Skills
Certification, Research, Image, Initiatives and About. In Skills Certifications there are resources
for Employers, Educators, Communities and even information about apprenticeships and
certifications. In the Research tab the Institute provides a range of topics relating to this field. In
the image tab there is an inspiring video that interviews millennials on what they believe
Manufacturing is and shows how important it is to the US economy. If you are a women or
military/veteran the Initiates tab holds information on programs that exist within manufacturing.
But going back to the home page you will notice a list of dates on the right with Institute events
and news

Tips:
Visit the link M-List under Skills Certification to learn more about high schools,
colleges, and technical schools that teach industry standards.
Take the time to watch the videos they are very inspirational and professionally done.

Professional Exploration

Manufacturers Monthly
Professional Journal
Location and Availability
http://search.proquest.com/publication/publications_43951?accountid=13158
If you use this link on a Pennsylvania State University computer the library will provide full text for free.

Description:
The Manufacturers Monthly is collection of electronic trade journals, tailored to
Business and Economics for Production of Goods and Services. This publication has full text
coverage from June 2005 to the present. Each month has over a hundred journal articles. This is
a great resource to research current information about a company of interest or about companies
of specific trades. Since there are a significant amount of journals published every month the
search toolbar found half way down the page is a great way to quickly locate an article of
relevance. Also you have the option of opening the issue from a specific month of any year under
the Browse Specific Issues. Once you find a journal of interest you will find the full text and even
related items brought to you by the Pennsylvania State University Library.

Tips:

Use the Set up Alert tab to get the new issues emailed to you as they become
available.
Once you find a journal you can email, cite and save the article to My Research.
If you are looking for an article in a specific issue note that the search tool bar is on
the bottom of the page. This will allow you to search for an article just within the
issue you have selected.

10

United States Department of Labor

Occupational Safety & Health Administration
Website
Location and Availability
https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/industry.html
Available online without subscription.

Description:
On this specific site OSHA has divided the compliance information based on which
specific industry. From Agriculture to Construction they have each area outlined. Looking into
the manufacturing section which is found about halfway down the site, it is divided into the
products being produced. For example under the first subtitle Apparel and Footwear Industry
the link takes you to an information page outlining the employers responsibilities to keep their
workers safe. On this page there are links to file complaints, workers rights, and even goes into
dangers of this type of work place. OSHA goes into possible health risks such as musculoskeletal
disorder that is related to working in the apparel and footwear industry. Whether you will be an
operator working under these conditions or looking to become a manager knowing the rights to
keep each worker safe is equally important.

Tips:

Dont be overwhelmed when initially looking at this website, there are a lot of links
but follow the subtitles to get to what industry you are interested in.
On the right side there is a column labeled Industry Sector Links which supply
additional standards.

11

Research Information

12

Engineering Village
Electronic Database
Location and Availability
http://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/quick.url

Database is free, but some journals will require using a Penn State Library login.

Description:
The Engineering Village is an electronic index of engineering literature, run by Elsevier
which is an information company that publishes scientific and technical literature. This database
combines the access of 12 engineering literature and patent databases into one search engine.
There are documents such as journals, reports, and dissertations starting back from 1884. With
this abundance amount of articles there are a significant amount of filters that allow you to sort
by date, relevance, type of document, and language. The thesaurus aspect of this database is easy
to overlook but a great way to look up terms while remaining on the same site. Due to the fact
that this database has an abundance of journals if you are not exactly sure what you are looking
for it can be overwhelming.

Tips:

Top right corner Ask an Expert will direct you to a senior engineering, product
specialist or librarian if you need specific help or more information.
Search History saves past searches which is very helpful when looking for multiple
journals or just to make sure you dont lose important information.
Know what type or article you are interested in before using this site to avoid
frustration.

13

National Technical Information Service

NTIS Database
Location and Availability
http://search.proquest.com/ntis?accountid=13158

Database is free when on a Pennsylvania State computer, but some journals will require
additional library help.
http://search.proquest.com/docview/884115607?accountid=13158

Description:
The National Technical Information Service Database is a collection of electronic trade
journals, tailored to Business and Economics for Production of Goods and Services. Through the
Pennsylvania State library you can search just the NTIS database on ProQuest. The NTIS has
several different source types such as dissertations, government publications, or journals. It
filters by date, company, and classification. This database has over 3 million sources so the more
information you can supply in the search box the easier it will be to find what you want. The
strength of this database is its credibility, all the contents represent the cutting-edge research
sponsored by the United States government and other countries around the world.
One pertinent technical report that I found to be very useful was the Report to the
President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing. In this report it
addresses that the United States is becoming less of a leader in the manufacturing industry. There
is a call for innovation and workers. Additionally speaking to the fact that many highly skilled
works are looking to work in other countries with a larger manufacturing sector such as Japan or
Germany. The abstract that is supplied from the NTIS gives you a clear understanding of what
the report will address while being concise. Above the abstract you will find Get it! Penn State,
which will lead you through the Pennsylvania State Library to get access to this report for free.

Tips:

Since it does date back to 1964 it is important to make sure you are checking the
dates for the most recent information.
Dont forget about the helpful cite tool at the bottom of the website.
The Show duplicate items from other databases can lead you to different authors
discussing similar topics. Which will make you more rounded on the topic at hand.