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LIBRARY RESOURCES: COMM 1130 MEDIA WRITING

NOTE:   Off-campus access to library databases listed in this guide is limited to WSU students, staff, and faculty. If you have questions, chat with us online. Just click on the Online Assistance button at the top right of this page. Or call the Reference Desk 626-6415  or toll free 1-877-306-3140


FINDING BOOKS

 

Using Catalogs: Use the WSU library catalog to find the location and availability of books and other media in Stewart Library. Use WorldCat   for books and media in many other library catalogs and to expand your search beyond Stewart Library's collection.

Interlibrary Loan: If we do not own a particular book or article you need, we will borrow it for you from another library through Interlibrary Loan.

 


FINDING NEWSPAPER AND JOURNAL ARTICLES

Newspaper articles may be found both on the web and in article databases to which the library subscribes. Generally news websites have limited archives and can have different content than any print version. Use article databases for additional coverage.

    WEB SITES FOR NEWS

  •  Yahoo's News and Media Directory  is a good place to start
  •  Gary Price has compiled a huge list of links to both national and international news at NewsCenter. Although it is no longer being updated, it may be of use
  •  Newseum offers today's front page from over 400 newspapers in 37 countries with many from major US cities
  • Try stateline.org to find out what's currently happening in any of the 50 states. It also includes biographical information on each state's governor and links to a variety of state information.
  • Nettop20.com has convenient links to the major news outlets in various categories.  It includes broadcast, news wires, entertainment, current events and other non-news categories etc.
  • Twitter - a number of recent news stories have been broken on Twitter.  To do a better subject search, use hashtags (#)  for example:  #iranelections (no spaces allowed)  or check out the list of popular topics on the Twitter home page.   (Remember, credibility and accuracy are always concerns with these kinds of reports.)
  • Check out this handy guide to social news websites such as Reddit and Digg on DoshDosh (by Maki).   (There's also a Beginner's Guide to social news sites.)
  • There are a large number of news blogs out there.  There are a lot of guides to them as well.  Try starting with this entry from Squidoo by Pito Salas.

 

    ARTICLE DATABASES 

 

  • Use article databases to find articles on your topic.  Search by subject or keyword in these indexes. See Research Tips (below) for suggestions on effective search strategies. Many databases include the full-text of articles, just as they appeared in print. If you don't see fulltext, but want the article:

    • Click on the Find FullText link or button in a database to see if an article is fulltext in a different database
    • Use Ejournals to see if the library subscribes to a particular journal in print or electronic format
    • Use Interlibrary Loan to get copies of articles or books Stewart Library doesn't own

    The following  databases may be useful.

    • Communication and Mass Media Complete The best starting place for articles from communication journals
    • Academic Search Premier  Over 8800 magazines and journals, many with full text articles, covering most topics
    • CQ Researcher -  summaries of important current issues.  A good place to begin and/or get background information - it includes statistics, pro and con views, etc.
    • CIS Congressional Universe - a companion database to Lexis/Nexis - the place to look for legistlative information.
    • ComAbstracts/ComIndex/CIOS A database devoted to articles and links to web sites on the broad topic of communication
    • Ethnic NewsWatch 
      Full text Articles from minority and ethnic newspapers, magazines, and journals in English and Spanish. 1960-present.
    • GenderWatch     Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles addressing the impact of gender in society.  1990-Present (with selected articles from the 1970's and 1980's)  Full-text.
    • Lexis-Nexis Includes full text articles from newspapers around the USA and the world. Also transcripts from some news services, such as CNN.  Good source for court cases and law review articles as well as business and corporate information.
    • Newspaper Source - another large fulltext newspaper database from Ebsco.
    • Proquest Newspapers - includes fulltext of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times among many others.
    • Google Scholar - this is a good place to find "gray" literature such as conference proceedings and also articles on topics not covered by library databases.  The cited reference feature is an easy way to expand your bibliography.  Check out my Quick Guide to Web Searching or click on the Google Scholar link on the library's home page to see how to link to ejournals available at WSU.

    Don't forgot to search subject databases in your topic area.  They often have useful information.  Go to Article Databases and click on the closest subject area.  Then scroll down the list and read the descriptions.

    NEWSPAPERS

    • Ethnic & Gender News 
      Cross search the Ethnic and Gender Newswatch Databases
    • LexisNexis Academic 
      Fulltext coverage of many news, legal, and business resources. Dates of coverage vary, many update daily.
    • Newspaper Source 
      Provides full-text for 128 regional U.S. newspapers, fifteen international newspapers, six newswires, and nine newspaper columns, The Christian Science Monitor and The Los Angeles Times, for a total of 160 full text newspapers and other sources.
    • Proquest Newspapers 
      Full-text of 300+ U.S. and international news sources, including the Wall Street Journal.
    • Utah Digital Newspapers 
      Digital versions of local Utah newspapers. Coverage varies with paper, but ranges from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries.
    • Wall Street Journal 
      Full-text access to the premier financial newspaper
    • Google News Archive Search - a handy way to search news archives from multiple sources.  Some are free, others are fee based.  Fee based articles may be available through other databases or via ILL.  Also provides a nifty timeline.  Good way to track changes over time.  Some coverage may go back several hundred years.

     

    NOTE:  Want to know if we own access to a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper online with full text?

    Search for EJournals from the library's home page.


 

FINDING FACTS, STATISTICS, AND OTHER INFORMATION

Stewart Library owns many excellent reference sources.  The Internet provides access to many more.  

    BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  • CQ Researcher Each weekly issue is devoted to a topic of current interest, such as government spending, abortion, genetic engineering, mental health, etc., with a chronology, statistics, an examination of the different facets of the issue, and a bibliography. A good place to start. (Print version available at Reference desk for 1991-2006)
  • Facts on File  (Print only, 1950-2004, located in Reference and General Collections:  D 410 .F3) Summary of U.S. and world events;  weekly, with annual compilations.
  • Other 

 

   FINDING FACTS

Almanacs are compilations of facts and figures on just about any  subject, from the Super Bowl to the Oscars, from the GNP of Mali to the seven wonders of the ancient world. Two of the best known are:

  • The World Almanac  Current print edition at Reference desk, also available via Academic Search Premier (click on publications and type World Almanac.)
  • Infoplease.com - this is a good online almanac, but has very annoying ads and pop-ups.

Encyclopedias are excellent sources of basic information on a subject.

Chronologies  Use chronologies to find out who did what, when.  

  • Several excellent general and subject specific chronologies are  in the Reference area.   For example:
    American Decades    REF E 169.12 .A419   OR  World Eras   REF D20.W67

  • Many chronologies and timelines may also be found on the web. The timelines listed by Yahoo are a good place to start.

Virtual Libraries  Compilations of a wide variety of web resources, sorted by subject.

Famous First Facts Want to know who did what first?  This is the place to look. REF AG5.K315 2006 .  (Also known as Kane's Famous First Facts)

Chase's Calendar of Events  Day-by-day directory listing birthdays, anniversaries, annual events, etc. Located REF GT4803.C48

 

  FINDING STATISTICS

Other resources The library owns or has access to numerous other statistical resources.  Many statistical sources are located on Reference Table 9B.   For other information, ask for help at the Reference desk.


   FINDING GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

Government publicaitons are a wonderful source of information on practically any subject.  Most of the government documents we own are located in the Government Publications stacks at the north end of the main floor, past the Reference desk. Some of our documents are listed on the library catalog. To find other documents use finding aids, such as those listed below.  (For statistics, see C.  Finding Statistics)

General
  • Links to some of the best government web sites can be found on Stewart Library's government documents page. The University of Michigan and the University of Memphis also have excellent Internet home pages listing many government sites.

  • GPO Access is the main gateway to Federal government information.  It contains links to the budget, GAO Reports, Congressional information, Supreme Court decisions, presidential documents and more.

  • Monthly Catalog is an index to documents published by the Government Printing Office. The online version is known as Catalog of U.S. Government Publications and goes back to 1994. Print editions before that date may be found in our Government Publications area. 
Congressional Information  

For other sources of information about Congress, try the following:

Census information is available on the web at www.census.gov as well as on CD-ROM and in book form.  Their "Facts for Features" provides ideas and statistics for current event articles.   Also check out the American FactFinder.

Utah Census and demographic information may be found online. Books with detailed information from the most recent census are kept at the Reference desk. Other census material is located in the government publications stacks.

State Information may be found at stateline.org and from the Stewart Library State Resources web page.

Utah government  All Utah state documents owned by the library are listed in our library catalog. The Utah Code is on Reference Table 2A and online via  LexisNexis Academic. For information about Utah on the web, see  Utah.gov.

Local government The library keeps some Ogden/Weber government information, such as the Ogden City budget on Reference Table 2A.  There are also web pages for Ogden, Weber County and Davis County. For other Utah links, see the Stewart Library's Utah page.

Other government information 

  • CIA World FactBook  is a good source of basic information (print edition located on Reference Table 5B.)   
  • The United Nations has a good web page with many international facts and statistics
  • Use the University of Michigan Documents page for easy access to state and city government pages.


  FINDING LEGAL INFORMATION

Federal Laws 

CIS Congressional Universe is the best place to start for federal laws and legislation. For other sources of information about the federal legislative process, look at the following: 

State and Federal Laws, Court Cases, etc.
  • LexisNexis Academic includes codes and court cases from all states.  Many law journals are available with full-text articles.
Utah Laws   
  • The Utah Code  in print is on Reference Table 2A.  It is also available in LexisNexis Academic and the web. For information about Utah laws on the web, see Utah.gov..  All Utah state documents owned by the library are listed in the library's library catalog.

Media Law information The best way to find information about media and communications law is to look for a specific subject area.  If you look for books and articles using general terms like media law or communications law, you may not find much.  You will find a lot of information if you use such terms as:   First Amendment, freedom of the press, libel, privacy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), obscenity, protection of sources, Internet, copyright and so on. 

General background information
Useful Legal Sites on the Internet  


  FINDING INFORMATION ON PEOPLE, PLACES & GROUPS

Finding People 

Besides searching directories such as Switchboard.com and search engines such as Google.com try these:

Finding Places  Atlases and gazetteers are the places to start. Geographical information in print format may be found in the following books on Reference Table 5A:

  • The Columbia Gazetteer of the World.  
  • Encyclopedia of World Cultures 
  • The Europa World Year Book  Especially good for statistics on each country of the world
  • The Statesman's Yearbook Basic facts on countries of the world

    Online sources include

Finding Groups 
  • The Encyclopedia of Associations (kept at Reference desk) lists American groups and organizations.  The Encyclopedia of Associations: International Associations is  also located at the Reference Desk.
  • The Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (Reference Table 2B) provides information about media such as officials, addresses, circulation, range, etc. 
  • The Washington Information Directory (at Reference desk) is a guide to government and private groups working in Washington, D.C.  It includes addresses and contacts for government agencies, lobbyists, media groups, etc.  
Finding Information about Weber State   
  • Back issues of the Signpost and yearbooks are available in Special Collections, 2nd floor south. 
  • University Archives can be found in Archives, Stewart Library.
  • WSU Budget is kept in Media/Reserve on the lower level. 
  • The Budget and Institutional Research Office home page is a particularly good source of information.  
  • The Communication Department also has a home page.
  • WSU home page.  

  


REPORTING RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

SITES FOR JOURNALISTS

American Communication Association Contains links to information of interest to all in the field of communications, such as freedom of speech and information issues, telecommunications issues, and guides to information in many communications subfields.

American Journalism Review  A premier site for journalists. Check out their "Reporters' Tools" and  "Writing Aids" (under Resources)

CIOS:  Communication Institute for Online Scholarship  Provides access to a large number of useful internet links, articles on communication, and so on.

Committee to Protect Journalism  Dedicated to freedom of the press around the world.

Web Current Awareness Sites - a list of sites by Robert Teeter

CyberJournalist.net  This site includes journalism news and lots of relevant links. Click on their "Tips & Tools" for info about online journalism and how to use the Internet for reporting. By the American Press Institute.

The Electronic Journalist   Lots of useful information from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting FAIR, a national watch group, reports on media bias and censorship issues.

IRE:  Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization page with much information on developing and maintaining skills, job postings and other journalism information. Their Broadcast Center includes award-winning clips of video-streamed broadcasts for the past 20 years.

JournalismNet  By Julian Sher.  Has information about and links to resources for finding internet information, finding people, online media, databases and reference tools, story topics, etc.  Based in Canada, but very useful for anyone in the field.

JournalistExpress A favorite site of Peter Jennings, this one aims to give busy journalists the best of the web.

 

Media Guide to the Utah State Courts  Designed to assist journalists to navigate the court system as they report on cases and court programs

 

MegaSources   Compiled by Dean Tudor, Professor at the Ryerson Polytechnic University (Canada) School of Journalism.   Despite emphasis on Canadian sources, very useful for U.S. reporters as well.  Subjects covered include  finding experts, a list of "best on the net" resources, online reference help, search engines, etc.

Robert Niles   Produced by Robert Niles.   The section on on Finding Data has a very useful annotated list of links.   Also provides a tutorial for understanding the types of statistics used today.

Power Reporting Lots of great links here, including top 100 Web sites for journalists (no longer being updated, but still useful)

Student Press Law Center "A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing legal help and information to student media and journalism educators."

Virtual Gumshoe A good collection of links for investigative reporting.

Writing and Reporting News, by Carol Rich, 4th ed.  The online guide to accompany this textbook has links to many good websites, organized by topic.

OTHER USEFUL SITES

Ethics Updates  Provides updates on current literature that relates to ethics.

FBI FOIA Files   Online access to some of the FBI files released because of the Freedom of Information Act.

Freedom of Information Center  Provides information and guides to FOIA.

Media History Project  "Promoting the study of media history from petroglyphs to pixels"

The National Security Archive  A non-governmental research institute and library located at George Washington University.  It collects and publishes documents obtained through the FOIA.

The Smoking Gun  Another group that publishes FOIA and other documents, more oriented to celebrities and "hot" news.

The Wayback Machine (= Internet Archive)  "a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form."

American Memory Historical Collections from the Library of Congress.  A great place to find information and images for retrospective/historical pieces.

Snopes.com   Check out the validity of web rumors and urban legends - also check out the Museum of Hoaxes

 

You can't find everything on the web, but you can find a lot.  Make it easy on yourself and learn how to use a search engine properly - always check out the advanced search features.  Besides Google,   try Google Scholar, alltheweb.com and ask.com which offers suggestions for narrowing your topic.  Bing is also worth a try.


Learn how to Google like a pro:  A Scholarly Guide to Google from Widener Library, Harvard.


"The Hidden Web"  consists of sites that search engines can't find, usually due to the type of files they contain, such as database files.  Many of these sites are very useful.  The best way to find them is to use directory listings.  Good general directories include: Librarian's Internet Index and The Internet Public Library, as well as the directory features of Google and Yahoo .  


 

Research Tips

  • Clearly identify your information need
  • Identify key words and search terms to match your topic
  • Develop search statements using advanced search techniques such as Boolean logic, adjacency searching and truncation.
  • Use the Online catalog to find books, videos and other materials
  • Use an  appropriate article database to find journal articles, ask a librarian for help if you're not sure what's best
  • Use Interlibrary loan to get materials that are not in Stewart Library
  • Use search engines to find Web information
  • Carefully evaluate the information you find for usefulness and quality
  • Revise your search terms and strategy to expand or narrow your results, be creative, look in other areas
  • Use appropriate style to document and cite research
  • Ask for HELP at  Reference , via phone, chat, or email
  • To check database status, new sources, etc.  follow us on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/stewartlibrary (NOTE:  you don't need an account to read our page.)

 

   

Updated May 20, 2010 . Please send comments to Kathy Payne
Weber State University, Stewart Library. Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved.

Stewart Library - Weber State University - Ogden, Utah 84408. (801) 626-6403 - Copyright © 2008 ALL Rights Reserved