Terrorism: Selected Web Sites, Searching Tactics and Library Resources

Tony Angiletta, Morrison Curator for the Social Sciences

Updated March 27, 2008

Explanatory Note

The following slide show presents some elementary searching strategies using the Google

search engine, a list of selected links to useful websites on terrorism and selected bibliographic and source materials available only to authorized

Stanford users.

Six Simple Dicta on Searching the Web, Google, Socrates or any Index

• 1. When in doubt, phrases in quotes• 2. When in doubt, capitalize Boolean• 3. When in doubt, use Advanced search• 4. Narrow humongous search results:

by format, by domain suffix • 5. Supplement index searches with

Google Scholar• 6. If it is print resource and not at

Stanford, use ILL

I Google, therefore I find…maybe: Obvious and not so obvious ways to narrow down (• 1. Simple Google search on “terrorism”:

3/27/08 = 50,200,000 • 2. Advanced Google search using

“terrorism” and format .pdf :3/27/08 = 433,000

• 3. Advanced Google search using “terrorism” and domain suffix .edu : 3/27/08 = 404,000

• 4. Advanced Google search using “terrorism”, domain suffix .edu & format .pdf : 3/27/08 = 96,200

I Google, therefore I find…may be: Obvious and not so obvious ways to narrow down (cont’d)• 5. Advanced Google search using “terrorism”

in Russian and country suffix for .ru (Russia)

• 6. Country domain suffixes

• 7. Advanced Google search using “terrorism” and domain suffix .gov and .mil (or U.S. Government link)

• 8. Advanced Google search using “terrorisme” and “bibliographie” and language French

I Google, therefore I find…maybe: Obvious and not so obvious ways to narrow down (cont’d.)• 9. Google Scholar search on “terrorism”

: 3/27/08 = 545,000• 10. Google Scholar search on

“terrorism”: 3/27/08 and pub dates: 1972-2000 = 38,500 hits;

pub dates 2001 – 2006 = 86,100 hits•11. Google Scholar search on title“terrorism” in Stanford subscription to Jane’s Defense Magazine package= 342

Comparative Terrorism Citations, 1971-2005

776

2239

5242

1971-1990

1991-2000

2001-2005

Terrorism citations 1971-2005International Bibliography of Social Sciences

IBSS

Comparative Terrorism Citations, 1971-2005

Terrorism citations 1971-2005 PAIS & Google Scholar

2026

1191

3177

12200

6040

41700

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1971-1990 1991-2000 2001-2005

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

PAIS

GoogleScholar

Comparative Terrorism Citations, 1971-2005

12206

6516

35266

1971-1990 1991-2000 2001-2005

Terrorism citations 1971-2005New York Times

NY Time s

Some Web sites on Terrorism worth a visit. • 1.

Transactional Records Clearing House (TRAC). Independent watchdog.

– 1a. TRAC Special Report, February 13, 2003 : Criminal Enforcement Against Terrorists

– 2a. TRAC Special Report, December 8, 2003: Criminal Terrorism Enforcement Since the 9/11/01 Attacks

• 2. Gilmore Commission: Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism. Annual Reports

Some Web sites (continued)• 3.

H-Net site on teaching tragedy, violence and terrorism. Good historical contextualization.

• 4. Univ. of Minnesota Human Rights Library. International Terrorism and Human Right links.

• 5. United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Tony note: includes 15 anti-terrorism conventions.

Some Web sites (continued)

• 6. Monterey Institute for International Studies. Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS)

• 7. Center for Non-Proliferation Studies (Org chart for CBW response)

• 8. Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

• 9. SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities)

Some Web sites (continued)• 10. Freeman Spogli Institute for International

Studies (formerly SIIS). On terrorism.• 11. International Relations and Security

Network (ISN). Resources for terrorism.

• 12. Terrorism Knowledge Base• 13. Jamestown Foundation• 14. Terrorism Research Center

• 15. Terrorism: Information Resources (Columbia Univ.)

C. Stanford Libraries sites

• 1. Academic Universe (also listed as Lexis-Nexis). Statistical Universe. Power Tables. Terrorism. 207 tables on incidents, public attitudes and agency budgets.

• 2. Academic Universe. Reference. Polls and Surveys. Terrorism.

• 3. Polling the Nations, iPoll & Gallup Brain

• 4. Academic Universe. Legal Research.

C. Stanford Libraries sites (cont’d)• 5. EBSCO host Databases; search one

or several databases at the same time.

a. Academic Source Premier

b. Business Source Completec. ERICd. Medlinee. NTISf. EconLitg. Environmental Issues and Policy Index

C. Stanford Libraries sites (cont’d)• 6. Illumina. Search one or

several databases at the same time.

a. World Political Science Abstracts

b. Sociological Abstractsc. Environmental Science &

Pollution Mgt.d. PsycInfo and PsycArticles

C. Stanford Libraries sites (cont’d)• 7. Social Sciences Citation Index. SSCI.• 8. PolicyFile and CIAO• 9. Newspaper databases/indexes (Global

NewsBank, Historical NYT, Lexis-Nexis)• 10. Stanford Dissertations• 11. Social Science Data and Software

(SSDS). Iterate International terrorism• 12. Defense & International Security

(Lancaster)• 13. Jane’s Defence Magazine Library

C. Stanford Libraries sites (cont’d)

• 14. National and International Documents– a. Lexis-Nexis Congressional– b. Lexis-Nexis Statistical (ASI)– c. Lexis-Nexis Statistical (IIS)– d. Congressional Quarterly (CQ.com) &

National Journal– e. Congressional Research Service (CRS)

reports

– f. AccessUN