Can you trust the information in a Poll?  Even by the BBC?  Just ask poor Socks - aka Cookie
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7005053.stm for details

Library Research for JO205
"Writing for Media I"


 Instructor Allison Cleary
Library Hours
bullet Reference Hours - M-Th: 9am-10pm, F: 9-5, Sat: 12-4, Sun: 2-8pm
bullet Guest Speaker:
 Steve Burks
Office: Library 210
Phone: 654-2354
sburks@smcvt.edu

 
Coverage - 

* - New database
CQ Researcher Info

Databases - All SMC Library Article Databases may be found @ Title List of Databases -   See Databases Listed by Subject for subject databases

*Current print issues of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are at the Circulation Desk.  Other newspapers like the Boston Globe are available on the Library Main Floor

Newspapers

General Newspaper Databases (search many newspapers at once)

ProQuest National Newspapers

Infotrac Custom Newspapers

LexisNexis Academic

Ethnic NewsWatch


Individual Newspaper Databases

Los Angeles Times (1985-present)

New York Times Current (1980-present)

New York Times Historical (1851-2004)

Wall Street Journal Current (1984-present ) 

Wall Street Journal Historical (1889-1990)

Washington Post Current (1980-present)

Washington Post Historical  (1889-1991)


Vermont Newspaper Websites

Burlington Free Press / Rutland Herald Index 

Burlington Free Press

Rutland Herald

Times Argus (Barre/Montpelier)


Directory of Newspaper Websites

http://www.world-newspapers.com/
World newspapers, magazines, and news sites in English by country and region.  Some with links to full text.

  • The Defender 
    Back issues are found in the Library Special Collections Room or Archives.  Some articles are available online through Lexis-Nexis
     
  • AccuNet/AP MultimediaArchive
    Images, sound, and full-text electronic library containing the Associated Press current year's photo report and a selection of images from their negative and print library.1826 to the present

Journal Article Databases

General Article Databases @ http://www.smcvt.edu/library/databases/subject/general.asp
All of the databases and indexes below may be reached from this page.  Also, information about accessing databases off-campus is available here.

 Academic Search Premier
Excellent source for full text journals and scholarly articles

Academic OneFile
Includes abstracts or references for articles from more than 3,000 scholarly, trade and general-interest publications, as well as references for The New York Times.  Full-text coverage for 1900 titles. 

** Both databases can restrict searches to Primary/Peer Reviewed journals
   --  More information @ http://academics.smcvt.edu/sburks/scholarly_journals.htm

Subject Specific Journal Databases
-  To find journal articles restricted to topics like Medicine or Business - See Databases Listed by Subject

 
Statistical Sources and Polls

POLLS

PEW Research Center

Lexis-Nexis' "Public Opinion Online"

Gallup Organization
 

Library Databases

World Development Indicators
Query database contains over 550 time-series indicators for 208 countries and 18 country groups, covering 1960 to 2005, and offers mapping, charting and data export formats

LexisNexis Statistical
Statistical information available as indexed tables from federal, state, and international intergovernmental (IGO) publications.

U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
Census Bureau Mission: "... to be the preeminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States."

 

Population and Demographics

AmeriSTAT
 http://www.ameristat.org/
"One stop source for US population and data"

Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
Includes current population projections, and customized maps. Census for the United States.

Center for Rural Studies, U.S. Census Bureau's VT State Data Center
http://crs.uvm.edu/census/   
This is a fantastic site which provides data for Vermont along with links to other census and demographic resources on the web.

International Data Base from the U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/ipc/www/idbnew.html 

PopNet
 http://www.popnet.org
Source for global population information.

Population and Household Economic statistical reports listed by topic
http://www.census.gov/population/www/

Population Index on the Web
http://popindex.princeton.edu/

Population Reference Bureau
 http://www.prb.org
Population news, analysis and publications published by a nonprofit, nonadvocacy population and environmental organization.

Statistical Abstracts 
http://www.census.gov/statab/www 

Statistical Resources on the Web
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
Vast array of data accessed by such general areas as demographics, housing, labor, education, health…and sociology. Selecting sociology leads to more specific topics of interest such as child abuse, poverty, homeless, refugees, etc.

United Nations Population Information Network (POPIN)
http://www.un.org/popin/
International, regional and national data made available by the UN.

United States Historical Census Data Browser 
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census

Health

Alan Guttmacher Institute
http://www.agi-usa.org 
Covers issues such as abortion, pregnancy, birth, sexual behavior and diseases and contraception.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 http://www.cdc.gov
National news, travelers health information and data.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
http://www.unaids.org

National Center for Health Statistics
 http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/
Includes surveys and data, reports, events and a data warehouse.

United Nations Development Programme
http://www.undp.org
Provides information about health, poverty, the environment and other world development issues.

World Health Organization
 http://www.who.int
Reports, statistics and publications on disease and health
around the world.

Immigration

U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
http://www.usdoj.gov/ins/ 

Criminal Justice

U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/02organizations/02_6.html

Education

U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/topics/topicsTier2.jsp?&top=Research+%26+Stats&subtop=Statistics

Employment

U.S. Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/

Organizations Supporting Social Science Research

Institute for Social Research
http://www.isr.umich.edu 

Social Issues Research Centre
http://www.sirc.org/about/about.html 

Print resources

American Demographics   - (Now Advertising Age)

County and City Databook:2000     Reference HA202.A36

County and City Extra: 2000     Reference HA203.C68

Demographic Resource Guide     Reference HA203.D46

Demographic Yearbook (U.N.)     Reference HA17.D45

Demographics of the U.S.     Reference HB849.49.R875

Encyclopedia of Population     Reference HB871.E538

Historical Statistics of the States of the United States     Reference HA214.D63

Historical Statistics of the United States     Reference HA202.B87

Lifestyle Market Analyst     Reference HA203.L54

Sourcebook of County Demographics     Reference HA203.S65

State of the World     Reference HC59.S73

Statistical Abstract of the United States (annual)     Reference HA202

Statistical Handbook on Poverty in the Developing World     Reference HC59.72.P6 S73

Statistical Portrait of the United States Social Conditions and Trends     Reference HA214.S84

Statistical Yearbook (United Nations)     Reference HA12.5.U63

Vital Signs     Reference HC 10.V53

World Development Report (annual, 1978-current)    Reference HC 59.7W659

World Economic and Social Survey (annual)     Reference HC59.A169
 

 

Historical Statistics

International historical statistics : Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-1988
REF HA4675 .M55 1995

International Historical Statistics:   The America 1750-1988
REF HA 175 .m52

Look in the D- F, and statistical sources in the HD's sections of the Print Reference Collection for background information on your topics.

 
Finding Obituaries
  • For recent deaths - back to the 1970's, Go to LexisNexis  or an index listed above and do a keyword search
    - Example  --  obituar* and Richard Nixon
  • For deaths prior to 2003- Use the New York Times Online (1851-2003)
Finding Editorials or Opinion pieces
  • For recent Editorials - back to the 1970's Go to LexisNexis  or an index listed above and do a keyword search
    - Example -- Nafta and editorial  , Nafta and oped, Nafta and opinion
  • For Editorials prior to 2003- New York Times Online (1851-2003)
  • Roper Polls - go to LexisNexis Academic   - go to Lexis - choose Reference / Polls
Evaluating Information - Internet and other sources
Authority: To determine the authority of the source, ask yourself who is the author of this article-is this person a reporter, a student, an educator, a researcher, a scholar, an expert in the field. Sometimes information about the author will be provided. Otherwise, you may need to explore this question further in the library or with your instructor.
 
Timeliness or currency: When was the article, book, video or Internet source written or produced? Does it matter in regard to your research paper?
 
Scholarship: Does the presentation of information measure up to your expectation? Is the language and writing appropriate for your purpose? Is there a bibliography which demonstrates that the information presented came from reliable sources?
 
Focus: Does the source you have located address your specific topic? Is the coverage of the material too general to be worth reading for the topic at hand?
 
Objectivity: Is the material written from a biased point of view? Is the author writing to persuade you or to inform you?
Other resources which discuss evaluation criteria are:

Peer Reviewed Primary Journal Articles
Consider journal articles from Scholarly sources.  These sources are often the result of original research included references and bibliographies of sources consulted.  These journals are also often refereed or peer reviewed.  Consult with your professor or stop by the library.  More information @ http://academics.smcvt.edu/sburks/scholarly_journals.htm

Example - Finding the primary source from a secondary source
 By Leila Abboud (2003, January 28). Aches & Claims: Is a Chickenpox Shot Enough? Wall Street Journal  (Eastern Edition),  p. D.3

Example - Finding the primary source from a secondary source
 Suicide rates as a public relations tool, Boston Globe
By Alison Bass  |  September 24, 2007

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly:
or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html

 
"Evaluating Information - Applying the CRAAP Test."
 www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf 
Checking Internet Hoaxes and URLs

Urban Legends and Folklore:  http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blhoax.htm

Don't Spread that Hoax:  www.nonprofit.net/hoax/default.htm

Scambusters:  www.scambusters.org

Snopes:  www.snopes2.com

Computer Incident Advisory Capability:  http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org

Check Domain:  www.checkdomain.com

Cybersquatting and Internet Address and Domain Name Disputes:  www.eff.org/pub/Intellectual_property/Internet_address_disputes
Questions - try to answer the following
1. Find an obituary of Richard Nixon from a major newspaper

2. Find an Editorial or Opinion piece (Op-Ed) on NAFTA from a major newspaper back in 1995.

3. Find an Editorial or Opinion piece (op-ed) on NAFTA from an ethnic/regional/or alternative newspaper.

4. Which database do you use to research the New York Times during the period of
World War I? (1918-1922)

5. Find an Obituary of Huey Long.

6. Check the domain of www.smcvt.edu  - who is person to contact?   Try another domain url

7. Find an opinion poll on how Americans feel about abortion
Use LexisNexis Academic - Choose Reference and Polls

8. Find an article of the SMC Defender that covers the parking situation on campus.

9. Find a Wall street Journal article covering the 1929 Wall Street crash

10. Find a recent transcript from a major network news broadcast.

Last update - 09/26/2007