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 (links lead to database for searching the publication):
The Wall Street Journal (editorials: conservative) [abstracts available on Lexis-Nexis; full-text on paper or microfilm]
The New York Times (commentary: conservative and liberal) [available on Lexis-Nexis]
The Washington Times (conservative) [available on Lexis-Nexis]
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)
Christian Century (mainline Protestant)
Christianity Today (conservative Protestant)
Commentary (Jewish and politically conservative)
JAMA (medical community - U.S.)
Lancet (medical community - Great Britain)
                                                                (from Columbus State University)

To find material from the radical and fringe press, search the Alternative Press Index.

To find political blogs, go to Salon's Blog Report

Think Tanks

Terrorism 1996-2001: a Chronology

Location: REF HV 6431 .M4992 2002

 

Terrorism: Opposing Viewpoints

Location: REF HV 6431 .T485 2004

Essays on different topics related to terrorism, including causes, American laws, and international response.

Homeland Security

Location: REF HV 5432.4 .H65 2005

Presents yes/no essays by experts on issues related to this topic.

 

Global Geopolitical Flashpoints: an Atlas of Conflict

Location: REF JC 319 .A53 2000

This resource describes the conflict and political instability for volatile areas around the world.

Encyclopedia of Nationalism

Location: REF JC 311 .E4996 2001

Provides thematic (national symbols, art & culture), disciplinary (political science, postmodernism), and geographic (North Africa, East Asia) overviews.

 

 

Political Handbook of the World 2005-2006

Location: REF JF 37 .P6

Provides political information on each country of the world, including politcal background, foreign relations, current issues, political parties, and opposition parties.

The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World

Location: REF JA 61 .O95 2001

Contains articles on various topics and countries, including terrorism, political violence and international law.

World at Risk: a Global Issues Sourcebook

Location: REF JZ 1242 .W67 2002

This far-ranging resource covers such issues as terrorism, biodiversity, epidemics, and the role of women.

U.S. Policy Toward Rogue Nations

Location: REF JZ 1480 .U15 2004

Presents yes/no essays on issues of the day such as the war in Iraq.

Use I-Share to find books in the Lake Forest Library, as well as 70 other academic libraries in Illinois.

• Find books on terrorism by searching for "terrorism" as a subject heading. Look through the list of subdivisions, which include specific countries, history, government policy, psychological aspects, mass media, and religious aspects, among others.
• If you are focusing on a specific country, search for that country as a subject heading.
• If we have an available copy of the book you want, write down the call number and retrieve the book downstairs. Browse the shelves in that area to find more books on the same topic.
• To search for books from other libraries, click "I-Share Catalog ." When you find a book you want, click "request" and enter the 14-digit barcode number from the back of your ID card.

Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)

A good place to start - popular and scholarly articles on general topics.

Military & Government Collections

Current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government

JSTOR

Full-text academic journals

Project Muse

Full-text academic journals

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

Contains full-text news articles, as well as legal research. Choose "congressional universe" to find laws, testimony, and hearings.

Sociological Abstracts

Scholarly articles focusing on sociological aspects.

PsycInfo

A psychology database, useful for researching the psychological aspects of terrorism

Alternative Press Index

Articles from non-mainstream journals on political, cultural and social change

Useful for getting an alternative perspective on a topic

Call x5074 for the password

Current Contents

Research from current issues of scholarly research journals in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.

Other Databases

Look for other available databases in the sections for Getting started, Social sciences, and News.

Finding government documents

GPO

A database for searching government documents.

UN full-text documents

Provides access to online documents of the United Nations

Google Uncle Sam

A search engine that only searches government sites with the .gov domain

Useful government resources

Patterns of Global Terrorism 1995-2003

       U.S. State Department reports issued annually, describing terrorism around the globe

Anti-terrorism bill

Text of an October 26, 2001 bill in response to terrorism

Central Intelligence Agency - War on Terrorism

FBI Publications on Terrorism in the United States

U.S. Department of State - International Information Programs

UN Actions Against Terrorism

International Security Online (provides links to documents, articles and books)

Georgetown University's Research Guide for Terrorism

United States Institute of Peace Terrorism/Counter-Terrorism Web Links

Counter-Terrorism Training and Resources for Law Enforcement

Lake Forest College Online Terrorism Resources

Library of Congress - Selected Internet Resources on Terrorism

University of Michigan Terrorism Resources

 

MIPT Terrorism Data Bank

Links to Foreign Governments and International Organizations

Wikipedia's list of terrorist organizations (good as a starting point ONLY)