There is a wealth of polymer information resources available to those in the industry needing information. From affiliations to publications, from polymers industry research to polymers industry reports, polymers industry resources are abundant and can help you make your next business decision.

Making the acquaintance of others in the field should also be one of your top polymer information resources. You can network in this fashion at affiliation meetings, chat rooms, and via events such as continuing education in the field, conferences and workshops.

To make the most of polymer information resources:

1. Determine what your end goal is in your search for polymer information resources. Are you looking for a job? Do you need background information? Do you want to join a group? Are you looking to form an alliance with a provider because of a business need for your company?

2. Look at what your polymers industry research and polymer information options are before making any large business decisions.

3. Take your polymers industry research one step further by verifying your information through industry magazines or journal publications.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start out with general polymers industry resources

Before you jump into specifics, make sure that you have a basic knowledge about the subject through polymers industry resources.

I recommend: Find polymer listings alphabetically by name or by class from PolymerProcessing.com. Check out the latest news and information from the American Chemistry Council's Plastics Division. Use MatWeb as a searchable database of material properties, including those for polymers. Check out the industry marketplace for polymers and plastics from PlasticsNet.

Use affiliations or groups to find your polymers industry resources

See what kind of polymers industry research your colleagues are doing, network, find a new job, continue your education and more through industry affiliations and groups.

I recommend: Become a member of the Polymer Processing Society. Discuss polymer processing technology with leaders in the field. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is another affiliation option. The Society of Plastics Engineers is the largest polymer society in the world. Consider joining the Society of the Plastics Industry, the trade association for the plastics industry.

Locate polymer information in publications

Find out the latest in polymers industry research and polymers industry reports from polymer and plastics publications. Magazines and journals can keep you up-to-date on the latest developments in the field.

I recommend: Subscribe to Plastics News International for the latest in reference materials for polymers. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to the PlasticsNews.com premium content for more information on the polymers industry. Most of the content on the site is free, but the upgrade affords you copies of the weekly newspaper. Fill out an online subscription form for Plastics Technology, another source for information on polymers. Subscribe to Polymer-plastics Technology And Engineering for your information about polymers need.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Polymers industry reports are very guarded pieces of information. Many paid subscriptions in this industry are going to be quite expensive if they include polymers industry research and full polymers industry reports of that research.