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Cracking the Code of Life

Consider chapters seven and eight of this program for class discussion.


I borrowed this site from one of the ESL instruction sessions. It's a simple approach to what you're doing but guaranteed to get us moving along the right track. Opinion or news story? Take a look at the Bangkok Post observations about its opinion column.

Where do I start?

The short answer:

  • Go to the BHCC Library web page databases page, and click on the link for an appropriate database.
    • Don't miss EthnicNewsWatch and the Massachusetts Newspapers if you're looking for opinion pieces.

The complete answer:

Think about where information is before it gets to you. What do you know about:
  • news channels
  • publishers
  • newspapers
  • magazines
  • satellites
  • Internet delivery services
Columbia Journalism Review publishes a list of owners. Does it matter what goes on behind the scenes at:
  • Disney/ABC
  • GE/NBC & MSNNCB
  • Westinghouse/CBS
  • CNN, the Boston Globe and the New York Times
  • Fox News and the New York Post
Do media watchdog groups like FAIR offer anything of use to you as an information user?

You're going to be using the Internet and the WWW to locate information for this class throughout the semester. Have you thought about evaluating what you find?

Let's get to today's assignment. It's simple if you pay attention to the process you use to get the results you need.

Consider a range of sources and make the information tools work for you. For example, sometimes you make the choice and sometimes the tool helps you to make the choice. Give EBSCO and LexisNexis and try.

  • 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.
    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 database.

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.

  • 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.
    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 database.

    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.

    What's the difference between the EBSCO and the LexisNexis databases? Do they work the same way or should you handle your searches differently? Here's a tip. Use the in context help files to get what you need in a fast and efficient way. For example, in LexisNexis, consult the " How do I " file. Under the news section, scroll down to item #5.

      5.  Find opinion/editorials on both sides of a current issue?

        Choose the appropriate search form and type terms related to the issue in the Keyword box, such as education AND property tax. In the Additional Terms box, enter opinion OR editorial OR op-ed, or any other headings under which you would expect to find opinion articles. Please keep in mind that, since news sources have varying names for editorials, this search method is not guaranteed to retrieve every opinion piece written about a subject.  

    What else?

    Later this semester you may be interested in looking at the ideas related to positions on an issue that can be classified as Pro & Con. Look at Chemeketa Community College Site to consider the scope of what it means to take a position on a topic.

    Having trouble deciding what you feel passionately about? Take a look at some Current Issue Files presented by the Public Affairs Information Service and the Hot Topics file.

    How about getting your thoughts focused on the ideas related to what goes into writing Argumentation/Persuasion: Logic in Argumentative by considering information posted on the Purdue Writing Lab site.

     

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