English 2:  Researching Violence

Background information
Databases for newpaper and journal articles
Government publications and statistical studies
Evaluating web resources
Citing electronic resources

Where to begin --

CQ Researcher - An excellent resource for background information and perspective. This source gives extensive analysis of  many public policy issues.  CQ Researcher contains dozens of reports on all aspects of the social impact and causes of violence. Full text is available for CQ Researcher articles back to 1991. PDF files are available back to 1998. Provides many sources for further reference.

Databases for finding newspaper and journal articles --

Academic Index (infotrac)
Use this database to find articles in journals and magazines on your topic. Many of the  articles are available in full-text from the database. Contains a good mix of scholarly and general interest journals.
 

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe
Lexis/Nexis covers many newpapers as well as magazines, radio and television broadcast transcripts and a wealth of legal and business materials. Lexis provides full-text access to approximately 99% of its coverage.

Proquest
Like Lexis, Proquest provides newspaper and magazine coverage, with much full-text material available.

Sociological Abstracts
Provides indexing and abstracting for scholarly journals in Sociology and Anthropology. Many aspects of violence and abuse are studied in these journals. The articles are not available in full-text from the database. Use ASA, the Lehigh webcatalog to locate the journals in our collection.


Government publications and statistical studies

Many U.S. government hearings, studies and reports have been produced on the issues surrounding violence. A number of them may be available by searching in ASA, otherwise use the Marcive GovDocs database to find others.  The Google search engine is particularly good for doing broad world wide web searches for government reports.  It allows  you to easily limit your search to government websites. This search engine is unique since it also searches PDF (Portable Document Format, i.e. ACROBAT ) files.  An increasing number of government and organization websites post their data on the web in this format.

You can also locate numerous statistical reports and studies on violence, crime and related topics either on the web or in the publications of
government agencies or private associations. Several good sources exist for tracking down such data:

FedStats : a gateway to statistics on the web from over 100  Federal Agencies.

American Statistics Index, 310.016 C749a  FM-1-REF
- this is an annual printed index to the contents of thousands of U.S. government statistical reports.

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 317.3 U58s FM-1-R-REF   also on the web in PDF format:  http://www.census.gov/statab/www
- a compendium of statistical tables on wide variety of topics, gleaned from U.S. government statistical reports.

Statistical Reference Index, 317.3016 S797  FM-1-REF
- indexes the statistical reports produced by private organizations/associations, state governments and university research centers.
 


Evaluating material from Web Sites

Criteria for Evaluating Information on the Internet :

Accuracy

     Are facts and statistics documented?
     Is information properly cited?
     Is the site well researched?

Reliability/Authority

     Can the author or sponsor be identified?
     What are the credentials or qualifications of the author or sponsor?
     What is the institutional affiliation?
     Is contact information provided?

Objectivity

     Are there biases in the document? Is it designed to sway opinion?
     Are the aims or goals of the author/sponsor clearly stated?

Timeliness

     When was the site or information last updated?
     Are the links up-to-date?

Coverage

     How does the information compare with other sources available on the topic?
     How in-depth is the material?

     Additional Readings on this topic:
      Evaluating Web-Based Information  (Follow all "next" links)
      Evaluating Internet Information
      Evaluating Internet Research Resources


Citing Electronic Sources:

     ONLINE! Citation Styles: Index
     MLA Style (for Electronic Formats)
     American Psychological Assn. (APA) style -- Electronic Reference Formats




Compiled by Roseann Bowerman, Social Sciences Librarian
Lehigh University Information Resources
Office: Linderman Library, Room 100
Phone: 758-3053
created 2000/ revised April 2001