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 (link leads 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 Washington Post [available on Lexis-Nexis]
The Washington Times (conservative) [available on Lexis-Nexis]

Harper's (political and social: liberal/progressive; anti-war)
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)
            (from Columbus State University)

To find material from the radical and fringe press, search the Alternative Press Index (password required; contact the Reference Desk at x5074 or via email).

Think Tanks

Documenting Your Sources & Avoiding Plagiarism

In this class, you will be using APA citation style to document your sources in your papers. This means that every paper will include:

• In-text citations with parentheses ( ) briefly indicating which source and what page your information came from.
• A list of references at the end of your paper that provides complete information about these same sources.

Regarding plagiarism:

• It is your responsibility to understand what consitutes plagiarism and to ask your professor if you have any questions.
• Read the introduction to APA style in the Hacker Guide (required for this course).
• The publishers of the Hacker Guide provide this short tutorial.
• Even accidental plagiarism is academically dishonest, so follow the guidelines in the Hacker Guide.
• Understand that both direct quotes AND paraphrases (putting the original text in your own words) need to be cited/documented. Failing to do so is one of the most common types of accidental plagiarism.

Doing Library Research for This Course

Finding books

Finding articles and working papers

Books

You can search the library's catalog for material. If we don't own something here, you can search the larger I-Share catalog and request material using the "request" button and your 14-digit College ID number (it begins "210110...").  Most books arrive within 3 days and will be held for you at the library's main desk for two weeks before being returned.  When you check a book out, you will usually be able to keep it for 3 weeks and renew it once.

Articles

To find articles, you can:

• search the library databases
• look for a particular journal using our journal finder

If the full-text of the article you want is not available, you can:

• request a photocopy be sent to your campus box by using Interlibrary Loan (please allow up to 2 weeks)

Some recommended databases for this course:

• Lexis Nexis (for news articles and editorials)
• Academic Search Premier (good general database)
• Business Source Elite
• EconLit (advanced reading and not full text, but important in the discpline) Password required

Some recommended journals/magazines/publications for this course:

• Journal of Economic Perspectives (most recent 2 years not available online, but current issues are on the second floor and last year's are on the lower level of library)
• The Economist
• NBER Working Papers 
• The Wall Street Journal (search online but read full-text on microfilm in the library)

Some recommended websites:

• Opensecrets.org (to track political donations by lobby groups)
• Top 25 Lobbying Groups (from Fortune Magazine)