Release the Hounds: A guide to research for journalists and writersHow do you track down the information you need without being distracted by false trails? Journalists, writers, in fact anyone who hunts information, need to develop superb research skills to avoid chasing red herrings or running into blank walls. When you release the hounds, you are already halfway to your quarry. By identifying what information resources exist, who is responsible for them and how to match a resource to a particular need, Christine Fogg sets the researcher on the right track. Is there any information worth having that's not on the Internet? (Answer: YES!) Where exactly will you find Environmental Impact Statements or Green Papers? Is there a library or collection that specialises in the area you are researching? Where will you find out who owned your house in 1923? Never losing sight of the importance of approaching information with a critical eye, Release the Hounds is an essential tool for all researchers, journalists and writers. Journalism needs savvy people. Hanging around in bars is OK, but there is more to the game these days. Or there should be. And this is a book that could help lift your performance.' From the foreword by Bruce Grundy, University of Queensland |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 Picking up the scent | 32 |
3 Digging up the business bones | 74 |
4 Sniffing the legal breeze | 85 |
5 Tracking down government resources | 97 |
6 Finding old scents and new trails | 142 |
7 Tracking down the truffles | 168 |
8 Scratching up the numbers and crunching them | 191 |
Who has what? Resources under subject topics | 219 |
Bibliography | 241 |
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Release the Hounds: A Guide to Research for Journalists and Writers Christine Fogg No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
academic agencies Archives Association Australian bodies Centre changes collections Commission committees Commonwealth companies conferences contain Council Court created databases decisions departments Directory documents Education example experts facts figures groups Guide headings Health hold House important indexes industry Institute interest International Internet interview involved issues journalists journals keep land legislation libraries lists locate looking major material means Melbourne newspapers Office organisations parliament Parliamentary particular Periodicals person political prepared press releases produce programs published questions reading records Reference Register relevant reports responsible says Science search engines selected social sources South Wales specialised Sport Statistics story Studies Sydney talk topic trade University usually websites World Zealand
Popular passages
Page 235 - ... Central Sociological Association Operations Research Society of America Population Association of America Rural Sociological Society...
Page 76 - Officer at the Centre for Corporate Law and Securities Regulation at the University of Melbourne.
Page 70 - Technology (RMIT) and the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training at the University of Sydney, formed the basis of the major feature 'Still Work in Progress
Page 23 - Canberra, now known as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
Page 104 - Searches can be limited by date and search terms can be combined using the Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT to make your queries more precise.
Page 191 - The ugly side of statistics is that they can be very slippery, so it is wise to understand how the figures were produced. For example, if the sample sizes used for surveys are very small, the results can be meaningless. See 'Querying the figures' in Chapter 1 for information about survey practices.
Page 80 - A company is an association of people formed to conduct business or other activities in the name of the association.
Page 86 - Acts passed by parliament, the rules, regulations and by-laws passed by authoritative bodies, and the reports of the decisions of the courts.
Page 97 - There are three tiers of government in Australia: - Federal, State and Local Government.