Rules and Regs Abstract Manual a beginner's guide to legal research
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Abstract Manual - Page 1

The course Mass Media Law is designed to provide you, the student of Communication Studies, with a fuller understanding of the role federal regulation plays on the development of mass media in America.

The course will also expose you to some of the current regulatory and policy issues in broadcasting, telecommunications, new media and advertising for these multi-billion dollar industries. The issues involved are complex and multi-faceted and, as a result, they are sometimes hard to understand at first glance. The research that you prepare for this course will help you understand these complex issues.

You should see several measurable benefits as a result of completing the research for this course.

• First, you should be able to understand the controversies discussed in the industry and industry periodicals (such as Broadcasting and Cable Magazine) with much greater clarity.
• Secondly, your library skills will be greatly enhanced as a result of the type of research necessary to complete the abstracts.
• Lastly, you should have a greater understanding of how the federal government impacts upon the industry and as a result your future career area. This course may well provide you with some new ideas for career choices.You will also find that many of the topics discussed in this course deal with your own personal freedoms and rights In a democratic society.

To help begin the process, students taking this course on campus are going to have an introduction to the documents depository, law and government, and other areas of the Penfield Library. This introduction should help dispel fears you may have concerning the research you will undertake. Penfield is a U.S. Government Publications Depository and many of the documents you may require for your research can be found in print or on film within our holdings. Many current federal documents and court cases can be found on The Internet.

Some students take this course online or this page may be used as a resource for media law courses taught at other universities. My little book INTRO TO THE INTERNET FOR ELECTRONIC MEDIA: Applications and Research explains many ways to search for documents available on The Internet. This book is available by mailorder at the Oswego College Bookstore and at Amazon.Com

Generally, your research can be divided into three broad categories. They are:

• Finding Aids and Indexes which are used to locate primary research. This will be the first step in finding the sources for the abstract topic that you've chosen.
• Secondary Sources which are books, magazines, journals and newspapers which contain articles discussing various laws and regulations and various related issues.
• Primary Sources which are the actual laws, statues, regulations, court decisions and testimony given about laws.

For a discussion on the differences between primary and secondary research use the link below on conducting web research.

Regs Manual Page 2

Regs Manual Page 3

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