Stewart Library - Weber State University


COMMUNICATION LAW

Comm 3650

NOTE:   Off-campus access to article 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

 


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 the terms media law or communications law, you may not find much.  Try terms such as:  press law, mass media, First Amendment, freedom of the press, libel, privacy, the Freedom of Information Act, obscenity, protection of sources, Internet, copyright and so on.  Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings (located near the Reference Desk) to identify related or alternative subject terms. 

I.  FINDING BOOKS

Using Catalogs: Use the WSU online catalog to find the location and availability of books, journal titles, and media in Stewart Library. If we do not own a particular book or article you need, we will borrow it for you from another library through Interlibrary Loan .

Some books which may be useful for this class include

  • History of the Mass Media in the United States   Reference P92.U5H55
  • Encyclopedia of Communication and Information  Reference P87.5.E53    
  • Keyguide to Information Sources in Media Ethics   Reference P94.M22
  • Encyclopedia of the American Constitution  Reference KF 4548.E53  on Table 2A 
  • Great American Court Cases  Reference KF85.A4G68 on Table 2A
  • West's Encyclopedia of American Law   Older edition(1998) is in print and located on Table 2A Reference KF 154.W47 Newer edition (2004) is available full text online. Home access requires your WSU user name and password
  • Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States  Reference KF101.8.L36,  older years in General Collection, middle level   
  • Legal Information: How to Find It, How to Use It  Reference KF240.O365
  • Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law  Reference PN4783.A83 2002
  • Legal Research Using the Internet  Published in 2000, this electronic book may be read online. Access through Stewart Library's online catalog. View the book but remember to close item (link near top left) when finished.

II.  FINDING NEWSPAPER AND JOURNAL ARTICLES 

The library has many article databases which may be used to find articles. 

  • Use the Database Finder to locate databases by subject or title of database
  • To determine if a particular journal is available full text online, use the library's Ejournal finder.
  •  To determine if the library subscribes to a particular journal in print copy, use the library catalog.
  • For an article from a journal or magazine not owned by this library, use our Interlibrary Loan service. 

Most databases are available to WSU students, faculty and staff from off campus See Connecting from Home for more information

Some useful databases for this class include

  • Academic Search Premier   This database covers most topics and includes full text, scholarly journals. An EbscoHost database
  • CIOS/ComAbstracts/Com Index Wide range of articles and links to web sites in the field of communication, by Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS).
  • Communication and Mass Media Complete The best starting place for articles from communication journals
  • EbscoHost Databases  A group of databases with many full-text articles.  Using this link allows you to search multiple databases at once. Use Academic Search Premier as a great starting place for most subjects. Also includes business, health and legal databases.
  • JSTOR  Fulltext scholarly articles with some journals dating back fifty years or more. Some of the law review journals date from the early 1900s.
  • Legal Collection  Full-text articles from 260 law journals as well as documents and case studies. An EbscoHost database
  • Lexis/Nexis offers numerous full-text articles. Search Academic section for news, legal information, and business topics. Use Congressional section to find US  congressional and legislative information.
  • ProQuest/ABI Inform Formerly ABI Inform/UMI, this group of databases, including the full text of Wall Street Journal, is especially good for business topics; all have some full-text articles available online.

III.  FINDING CONGRESSIONAL INFORMATION

  • Federal Register The official place of publication for Presidential documents and executive orders, as well as notices, rules and proposed rules from federal entities. Also available online via Lexis-Nexis/Academic. Print copies located in Government Publications Reference AE 2.106.
  • U. S. Government Manual The official listing of all U.S. government agencies with their duties, responsibilities, etc. Latest print edition is at the Reference desk.
  • Utah government  All Utah state documents owned by the library are listed in our online catalog. The Utah Code is on Reference Table 2A and is online via Lexis-Nexis/Academic.  For information about Utah on the web, see www.utah.gov  
  • Local Government The library has some Ogden/Weber government information. Use the online catalog to locate specific books.  There are also web pages for Ogden and Weber County.  For other Utah links, see the library's Utah page.

IV. FINDING LEGAL INFORMATION

Federal Laws 

  • U.S. Code   The subject arrangement of U.S. Laws. Also available via Lexis-Nexis Print copies are in Government Publications Reference Y 1.2/5
  • Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)  Subject-based listing of the rules and regulations of the various executive departments and agencies of the U.S. Government.  Print edition in Government Publications Reference  AE 2.106. Also available online via Lexis-Nexis

Utah Laws  The Utah Code in print is on Reference Table 2A.  It is also available on Lexis-Nexis and the web. For information about Utah laws on the web, see Utah laws on www.utah.gov.  All Utah state documents owned by the library are listed in the library's online catalog.

Other legal information Lexis/Nexis includes codes and court cases from all states.  Many law journals are available there with full text articles.

Useful Legal Sites on the Web

Legal Research Guides on the Web

V. RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

 AJR From the American Journalism Review, has a series of links for information about Media and Communications law.

CIOS:  Communication Institute for Online Scholarship  Provides access to two communications databases  as well as access to a large number of useful internet links, articles on communications, and so on.

The Electronic Journalist Site by the Society of Professional Journalists has lots of links, news

FBI FOIA Files Online access to some of the FBI files released because of the FOIA

First Amendment Center  Good starting place for anything dealing with First Amendment rights

Freedom of Information Center Provides information and guides to FOIA. Take a look at their links for Media Law Guide

IRE:  Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization page with much information on developing and maintaining skills, job postings and other journalism information.

Journalism Ethics Cases Online  A good source of info on legal cases, by the School of Journalism at Indiana University, Bloomington.

JournalismNet 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.

Media Access Project From a non-profit law firm that promotes First Amendment rights

National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting 'Net Tour  Another great selection of links

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

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

Recording Industry Association of America Useful information for anyone searching the issues surrounding music piracy, file sharing, music and the Internet, etc.

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

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

Yahoo News & Media Many links to journalism, media ethics, etc.

VI. Research Tips

  • Clearly identify your information need
  • Identify key words and search terms to match your topic
  • Develop search statements using advanced search techniques
    • Boolean logic, adjacency searching and truncation
  • Use the Online catalog to find books
  • Use article databases to find journal articles
  • If articles are not full text, search Ejournals to see if a particular journal is full text in another database
  • If a journal is not available full text online, check the online catalog to see if the journal is owned by Stewart Library in paper copy. Materials are arranged by their call numbers.
  • Use Interlibrary loan to get materials that are not available through 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.
  • Use appropriate style to document and cite research
  • Ask for HELP at  Reference in person, by phone or email.

Updated April 4, 2008 .
Weber State University, Stewart Library. Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved.