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Online Books
Mass Media and the World Wide Web

The following is meant to be used as support material related to a library instruction session conducted by a library instructor and a Communication Department course instructor.


Your assignment | Finding articles | Other media-related links | Citing Info

Your assignment

Your assignment is to choose one of the five topics listed on your assignment sheet and find information about it using sources found exclusively on the World Wide Web. Each of the five topics is briefly listed below, along with an indicated web page starting point for your search. Remember that these web addresses are listed only to help you begin your work; where you start is not necessarily where you'll finish, and you shouldn't restrict yourself to the use of only one web site. One of the strengths of the World Wide Web as a research tool is the ability to move within and among web sites with a simple click of a mouse.

1. Free Speech on the Web - http://www.eff.org

2. Tim Berners-Lee - http://www.w3.org

3. Corporate Watch - http://www.corpwatch.org

4. FAIR - http://www.fair.org

5. Echelon - http://www.echelonwatch.org

As you choose your topic and begin your research, you should keep in mind that merely finding the necessary information doesn't mean that your job is finished. Consider the source of your information. What was it? What do you know about your information source? How easy is it to locate information on the Web about the producers of an individual web site? When you find source information about a particular web site, does this information enhance or detract from the credibility of the entire site? These are questions that every researcher on the Web needs to focus on as part of the research process.

Finding articles

As part of your assignment, you'll need to write a one-page report on your findings and print out one article to support and accompany your paper. We'll focus on two subscription databases you can use to find these articles: ProQuest Direct (used to find newspaper articles) and EBSCO (used to find magazine articles).

  • EBSCO
    What is it?
    EbscoHost offers immediate access to a variety of full-text databases which cover over 1,500 journals in searchable full text, abstracts and indexing for nearly 3,800 journals

    • What do I do to begin?

    Start by placing a checkmark next to the database(s) that appear to be the most relevant to your search. The default is set to search only the MasterFile Premier index since it provides full text for over 1,800 periodicals and citations for over 3,000 magazines and journals covering nearly all subjects including general reference, business, health and much more. After selecting a database, click the ENTER button. You will then move to the main search screen. Click in the rectangular entry box, type a keyword, and click the SUBMIT button to begin your search.

  • PROQUEST DIRECT

    This gateway provides full text access to major newspapers throughout Massachusetts, as well as The New York Times, International Herald Tribune and (coming soon) the Wall Street Journal.

  • LEXIS/NEXIS
    What is it?
    Lexis/Nexis is an extensive online source of legal and business information that contains numerous databases of information dealing with a wide variety of legal information.
    What do I do to begin?
    Click on the icon for the type of research you would like to do, for example, business, news, legal or medical research. You will be taken to a list of topics, for example, if you chose NEWS, you could choose to search general news, today's news, US news, etc. Click on one of these subtopics and you will be taken to a box in which you can type your search terms. Type a question or keywords that have to do with your topic, then click search.

  • INFOTRAC WEB

    What is it?

    Infotrac Web is a gateway, which provides access to seven full-text databases on subjects ranging from literature and literary criticism to business and technology research.
    A Spanish-language version of this resource is available at: http://mblc.state.ma.us/cgi-bin/remote.pl?db=infotrac
    What do I do to begin?
    Select one of the seven databases available and click on the start searching link for that database. Click in the rectangular entry box, enter your search term(s) and click on the Search button to begin your search.



    Note: If you are off campus you will be asked to enter the 14-digit library barcode number (located on the back of your ID card) and then your last name. You will then enter the databases.

    Other media-related links

    There are other links on the Web which are of special interest to journalists or those who are seeking information about the media. Here are a few:

    http://www.ajr.org - the website of the American Journalism Review, the most important trade journal in the field.

    http://www.cjr.org - the website of the Columbia Journalism Review, the first trade journal in the field and still an important critical source.

    http://www.stats.org - this site is devoted to the dissemination and proper use of credible statistical information, a key resource for researchers.

    Citing Information

    What do you remember in terms of citing information using the MLA format? If you find a magazine or newspaper article you can use MLA is what you'll need.

    Take a look at the Modern Language Association tips for citing at The MLA web site . Or, if you need a quick refresher, use the library research site at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA.

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    Last Updated February 1,2005
    Last Reviewed January 31, 2007