The project requires a minimum of 35 different sources. Of the 35, at least seven sources must be gathered from the Internet; however, Internet is not a source category counted in the total of 35.
Categories and Distribution:
Total = 35
Government Documents:
Seven Required
- Published by the government.
- Official records, reports, proceedings, decisions, declarations.
At least three of the seven must be hard copy or CD-Rom (i.e., not gathered from an electronic data base, a CD-Rom or the Internet)
EXAMPLES: Agency and Program Budgets; Operations Records; Correspondence; Reports and Records of Decisions; Meeting Minutes; Hearing Records; Rules and Regulations; Judicial Records.
Books
Seven required
- Substantial length and depth.
- Private publisher.
- Single publication date.
General (popular) periodicals
Six required.
- Private publisher.
- Aimed at general audience
- Sold on newsstands or by general subscriptions.
Specialized journals
Six required.
- Aimed at specialized audience with particular knowledge or specific interests.
- Not generally sold on newsstands.
- Generally not published by government.
Note: Many specialized journals are published by not-for-profit organizations and associations; however, the purpose of a specialized journal is too advance knowledge in a specialized field of knowledge. Contrast this purpose with the purpose for Institutional Sources.
Institutional sources
Six required.
- Published by an organization or association.
- Generally circulated without cost to readers or included in association membership.
- Purpose is to advocate the interests of the publisher.
EXAMPLES: Trade associations, advocacy groups.
Interviews
Three required: Two in person, one by phone or by Internet.
- Persons interviewed have specialized knowledge or expertise in your public policy area.
- Interviews should be formal and substantive.
- No relatives or friends!
EXAMPLES: Professors, government officials, organization officers.
Other Sources
None required
- Web Pages (where content does not fit into other categories).
- dissertations or theses.
- unpublished conference papers.
- unpublished hearing testimony, memoranda or letters.
Internet Sources (at least 7 of the 35)
- Not included in the 35 source total.
- An internet source is one that fits into one of the source categories and is accessed via the internet. For example, a legislative bill accessed via THOMAS is a government document (counts as one of the 35) and an Internet source.
- Documents accessed using Lexis/Nexis or other similar databases and CD-ROM databases are not Internet Sources.
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School of Journalism and Communication