Lake Forest College Library: Research Guide: FIYS 147

from Robert of Fairfax on Flickr

A word (or two) on "bias"

Bias and partisanship are not things to be avoided -- rather, it is the researcher's responsibility to acknowledge bias when it exists. Detecting bias is a critical skill. Here are some resources:
Handout on detecting bias in news reporting
Evaluating sources (from Colorado State University)

Some important publications and their biases (links lead to database for searching the publication):
The Wall Street Journal (editorials: conservative) [abstracts available on Lexis-Nexis; full-text on microfilm]
The New York Times (commentary: conservative and liberal) [available on Lexis-Nexis]
The Nation (political: liberal/progressive)
The New Republic (political: neo-liberal)
Mother Jones (political: progressive)
National Review (political: conservative)
American Spectator (political: conservative)
Reason (political: libertarian)
Nature (scientific community)
Science (scientific community)
Christian Century (mainline Protestant)
Christianity Today (conservative Protestant)
Commentary (Jewish and politically conservative)
JAMA (medical community - U.S.) [for articles from within the last six months, use the computer at the lab assistant's desk in the library's 24-hour computer lab or visit the print holdings in the library's lower level]
Lancet (medical community - Great Britain)
(from Columbus State University)

To find material from the radical and fringe press, search the Alternative Press Index.

Think Tanks

Progressive/Liberal	Non-Partisan	Conservative	Libertarian
Center for American Progress	Rand Corporation	Heritage Foundation	Cato Institute
Commonwealth Institute	Center for Strategic and International Studies	Hoover Institution
Institute for Policy Studies	Independent Institute	National Center for Public Policy Research
Brookings Institution

Topic 1: Education

Books: relevant ones and how to find more

Articles: relevant databases

Websites: some recommended ones

Using books

Some online reference books for this topic:

E-Reference Books/Virtual Reference Library includes the Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration

Some print reference books for this topic:

CQ Researcher REF H35 .C672
Educational Reform: A Bibliography with Indexes REF LB 14.7 .V5 2001
Encyclopedia of Education REF LB 15 .E47 2003
Encyclopedia of American Education REF LB 17 .U54 2007
Charter Schools (At Issue) REF LB 2806.36 .C5353 2008
Digest of Education Statistics REF LB 2846 .D48 2007

Subject headings to consider:

Education and state

Higher education and state

Education -- Political aspects

Education -- Economic aspects

Search for books in our online catalog and the I-Share catalog. In I-Share you may order books from other libraries by clicking "Request." Your "library borrower ID" is the 14-digit barcode on your College ID. It begins "210110...".

Searching for Articles in Newspapers and Journals

Academic Search Premier (good general database)
ERIC (Education database)

Lexis/Nexis database (good for newspaper articles)
JSTOR (full text, academic journals)
Web Feat (searches across a range of databases)

In databases that contain only some or no full-text articles, don't forget to click on the

"Find It--Check Lake Forest College" link to find out what access the Library has to an article whose full text is not included in that database.

For additional databases and articles, go to the Library's list of Databases. For passwords, call the reference desk at x5074.

Relevant Websites and Online Sources

Google U.S. Government Search (Uncle Sam) - searches U.S. government sites only
GPO Access
National Education Association (NEA)
Education Next (from the Hoover Institution)
Librarians' Internet Index (LII)

Statistics:
FedStats
United Nations Statistical Division
National Center for Education Statistics
Human Development Report
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research - search for opinion poll results
U.S. Census Bureau: American Fact Finder--Education

Statistical Abstract of the United States (2009)

Topic 2: Environment

Books: relevant ones and how to find more

Articles: relevant databases

Websites: some recommended ones

Using books

Some online reference books for this topic:

E-Reference Books/Virtual Reference Library includes

Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management

Encyclopedia of Environment and Society

Some print reference books for this topic:

Environmental Encyclopedia REF GE 10 .E58 2003
Encyclopedia of Environmental Issues REF GE10 .E52 2000
CQ Researcher REF H35 .C672

Subject headings to consider:

Environmental policy

Environmental quality

Environmental sciences

Pollution -- Economic aspects

Searching for Articles in Newspapers and Journals

GREENR
Green File

Lexis/Nexis (good for newspaper articles)
JSTOR (full text, academic journals)
Academic Search Premier (good general database)

BioOne (includes environmental and ecological science)
Web Feat (searches across a range of databases)

In databases that contain only some or no full-text articles, don't forget to click on the

"Find It--Check Lake Forest College" link to find out what access the Library has to an article whose full text is not included in that database.

For additional databases and articles, go to the Library's list of Databases. For passwords, call the reference desk at x5074.

Relevant Websites and Online Sources

U.S.

Google U.S. Government Search (Uncle Sam) - searches U.S. government sites only
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Federal Register Environmental Documents

EnviroFacts (from the EPA)

Statistical Abstract of the United States (2009)

Resources for the Future (politically neutral)

Environmental Working Group

Environmental Literacy Council

Scorecard (pollution reports by county)
Librarians' Internet Index (LII)

International:
United Nations Environment Programme
Best Environmental Directories (focused on Europe)
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (data on >200 countries)
Environment Directory
GlobaLex: A Basic Guide to International Environmental Legal Research (from NYU)

Topic 3: Crime

Books: relevant ones and how to find more

Articles: relevant databases

Websites: some recommended ones

Using books

Some online reference books for this topic:

E-Reference Books/Virtual Reference Library includes

Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment

Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities

Some print reference books for this topic:

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice REF HV6017 .E52 2002
CQ Researcher REF H35 .C672
Encyclopedia of World Crime REF HV6017 .N37 1990
Guns and Crime (At Issue) REF HV7436 .G8777 2005
Guns and Violence (Current Controversies) REF HV7436 .G8772 2004

Subject headings to consider:

Crime

Crime prevention

Punishment

Searching for Articles in Newspapers and Journals

SocIndex

PsycInfo

Lexis/Nexis (good for newspaper articles)
JSTOR (full text, academic journals)
Academic Search Premier (good general database)
Web Feat (searches across a range of databases)

In databases that contain only some or no full-text articles, don't forget to click on the

"Find It--Check Lake Forest College" link to find out what access the Library has to an article whose full text is not included in that database.

For additional databases and articles, go to the Library's list of Databases. For passwords, call the reference desk at x5074.

Relevant Websites and Online Sources

U.S.

Google U.S. Government Search (Uncle Sam) - searches U.S. government sites only

Statistical Abstract of the United States (2009)
National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Bureau of Justice Statistics and Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics

Uniform Crime Reports (FBI)

Librarians' Internet Index (LII)

International:
International Crime Statistics (compiled by the US Department of Justice)