Finding Articles in Periodical Indexes

Search statements:

censorship AND histor*

censorship AND legislation

censorship AND "freedom of speech"

censorship AND law

Scholarly journal:

Azhgikhina, N.. "Censorship in Russia: Old and New Faces. " World Literature Today 85.6 (2011): 34-39. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 27 May. 2012.

After searching "censorship and 'free speech'" I came across this article and it serves as a good example of historical and modern censorship. The in-depth article was written by a journalist and published in the journal World Literature Today.

Magazine:

Sirico, Robert A. (1996, July). Don't censor the Internet. Forbes, 158(3), 48.  Retrieved May 27, 2012, from Research Library. (Document ID: 9862827).

I found this article after searching censorship AND legislation. It is useful because it is a recent example of censorship that is still an issue today. 

Newspaper:

BILL KELLER, Special to The New York Times. "A Proposed Soviet Law Limits Press Censorship. " New York Times 27 Sep. 1989, Late Edition (East Coast): ProQuest National Newspapers Core, ProQuest. Web. 27 May. 2012.

This article is useful since it explains several examples of censorship in Soviet Russia over its history. It also explains how the laws were changed to allow some dissent.

My original search term brought limited results so I broadened my search to "censorship" and go too many hits. A suggestion said Censorship AND "freedom of speech" so I clicked that, and got some results. I then changed the last part to "legislation" and then "law". All latter results had plenty of journals, newspapers, and magazines to sort through.

Searching techniques

1. Will presidential election reform solve the issues with the Electoral College and the popular vote?
   reform AND "Electoral College" AND "popular vote"
2. Does television advertising by the pharmaceutical industry have an impact on prescription drug abuse?
   advertising AND pharmaceutical AND abuse
3. 
   Does anti-smoking advertising by the tobacco industry lead to increased smoking among youth?
   advertising AND tobacco AND youth
   
   
4. Is the current lack of sunspot activity affecting global warming?
   sunspot AND ("global warming" OR "climate change")
5. Has the U.S. trade and globalization policy hurt the middle class?
   globalization AND (class OR labor)

• What are some historical examples of censorship?
  histor* AND censorship

Focus on books

Library Catalog:


Searched term: censorship

Citation: Hull, Mary. Censorship in America. Santa Barbra, California: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Print.

Subject: censorship (United States)

Format, location and call number: Circulating book, Cannell second floor, call no. Z658.U5 H84 1999

Clues: Publisher seems reputable: http://www.abc-clio.com/, 2001 is a relatively recent book

Summit:


Searched terms: censorship, America

Citation: Paxton, Mark. Censorship. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2008. Print.

Subject: Censorship -- United States -- History

Location and call number: University of Portland, call no. Z658.U5 P39 2008

Clues: Reputable author, publisher and recent pub. date

Differences: Summit gives you the book contents and related books.

Books 24x7:


To narrow searches, on Books 24x7 you can selected where you want to search (by title, author, ISBN, or general content) and what words you want to search. You can also search for to proximity of the words, any words, all words or an exact phrase. When you add words, your searches will narrow. But if your search is too narrow, you won't get a return.

Google Books:

Searched terms: Censorship in America

Citation: Nye, Valerie; Barko, Kathy, ed. True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries. United States: American Library Association, 2012. Google Book Search. Web. 13 May 2012

Clues: Published this year, editors seem experienced in the topic.

Summary:
All the tools I used are very similar. All give you the basics of the book (author, title, ISBN, subject etc.) Google Books allows you to see clips of of some books, which proves useful. The benifit of the Cannell catalog is that those books are available for quick reference. Summit offers a useful similar book tool where you can view books that consist of the same subjects. The advanced search on Books 24x7 was a bit confusing, but was otherwise useful. I would say the best tool was Summit and the library catalog. Google Books is also a good to since it picks obscure and specific books on your topic.

--Brian

Matching sources to needs

Practice questions:

1) Is a vegetarian diet healthier than a meat-based diet?

For the an answer to the first question I would use a medical journal where I would find studies and analysis from health care professionals.

2) Target often forces musicians to alter lyrics in order to have their CDs sold in Target stores. Is this censorship?

Finding an answer for this question I would use popular magazines or newspapers to find both sides of the issue.

3) How much more can a college graduate expect to earn over someone with a high school diploma?

For this question, I would look on an official government web site, like the Department of Education.

4) Should educators use commercial services to combat plagiarism?

To find this question, people (like educators) would be the sources as well as popular magazines and newspapers. People will give you a first-hand account of their opinion on the subject. Newspapers will probably have that perspective as well.

5) Is the current lack of sunspot activity affecting global warming?

Books or academic journals would be the best sources for this question. Academic journals would be preferable since it is a recent issue, but both would probably do.

Research questions:


1) Where are examples of censorship throughout time?

Books would be the best way to research this question since I would need historical context.

2) Do US censorship laws on the books today conflict with the First Amendment?

Academic journals, written by constitutional lawyers or experts, would be the best source for this question since analysis from an expert would be needed.

3) What are the motivations of the people leading the censorship movement?

For this question, a newspaper or magazine article would probably be the simplest option. However, if you could talk to the people, you would get a first-hand account of their motivations.