Research Journal Part 4 SUMMARY

This was an interesting exercise, not without some frustration, but quite revealing when all the search information was placed side by side. In the domain exercise, I found I had to change my original search statement to come up with articles that focused more on my subject. By substituting the more specific phrase "REAL ID", the results were much better. I chose to use ASK.com since I had just discovered this search engine in the last assignment. I decided to see what I could find using the tools they offered. It was easy to use and I found some interesting documents in all four top-level domain areas. Each offered something different to the topic as well as some obvious biases. I believe the best results were in the .edu search, although the .org article I found was so full of information and links that it was a great benefit to researching my topic. Both of these articles were well-documented and produced a gold mine in the area of additional resources. The best part about these two sources was that the information was laid out for me to research and determine my position. I was surprised that my results for .gov yielded more in the way of partisan opinion than the .edu sites.

I chose INFOMINE for my subject directory, but I must have tried nearly all of them using various search statements. I had a hard time drawing up any documents that looked like they pertained to my topic. In time I found some search methods that seemed to work well on INFOMINE and stuck with that directory. Whereas I had to tighten my search statement for the domain exercise, here I had to broaden it considerably. I believe that with a little practice this might be a beneficial tool even if it was somewhat frustrating in the beginning. I would say that I might be less inclined to lean toward subject directories since discovering the ability to concentrate on specific top-level domain searches. That, in my opinion, is a wonderful tool.

Research Journal Part 4 Subject Directories

I put in considerable work in several of the subject directories to try to find a search statement that was broad enough yet would yield some results in the topic of my question. Below is the results of my search.

INFOMINE.
(mandatory and identification and cards)
This search directed me to the Congressional Research Service Reports posted by The Federation of American Scientists.

Tatelman, Todd B. Federation of American Scientists. The REAL ID Act of 2005: Legal, Regulatory, and Implementation Issues. 1 April, 2008. 14 November, 2009. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34430.pdf

Authority This website, called FAS (Federation of American Scientists), was founded by scientists involved in the first atomic bombs. They believe they have a responsibility to inform the public and influence the government regarding issues relating to scientific and technical issues. FAS is a non-partisan organization with 79 Nobel Laureates as board sponsors. In publicizing Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports, it hopes to keep the public informed and the government accountable for decisions made in science and technology. The report on REAL ID Act outlined several of the issues as reported by Todd Tatelman, Legislative Attorney in the American Law Division, to members and committees within Congress. A search for creditials for Tatelman did not yield results other than to locate additional items he has prepared for Congress. Sources: Extensive footnotes are included on each page of the 35 page report. Purpose, Evenness: While there are several controversal areas within the paper, Tatelman appears to report from a legal standpoint rather than by personal preference. Some of the language is technical, since it is written from a legal point of view. The purpose appears to educate Congress regarding issues that pertain to implementation of the REAL ID Act or other similar measures considered by Congress. Much of the report details consequences of action and inaction surrounding the Act; a necessary step before a proposal becomes law. While I found it quite technical at times, I appreciated the legal angle presented alongside some of the complaints and concerns addressed in public documents. There was plenty of information regarding my topic in this document and it appeared to be a more thorough attempt at discussing the various issues involved. Coverage, Timeliness: This publication is over a year old, but contains information still being debated in Congress. Many of the issues raised by Tatelman have not been addressed by Congress or in the subsequent PASS ID Act presented in response to concerns regarding the REAL ID Act, both legal and ethical.

Research Journal Part 4

Search Engine: ASK.com
Search Statement: (U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND "REAL ID"
****.GOV
Cacas, Max. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senator for Hawaii. Federal News Radio: Pass ID better than Real ID? 16 July, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=newsarticles.home&month=7&year=2009&release_id=2733

Authority, Purpose, Evenness: This article, placed on Sen. Akaka's official website, outlines the difficulties since the passing of the REAL ID Act. Cacas' expertise appears to be in the area of news reporting with no other expertise identified. Sen. Akaka, a key player in the alternative proposed Act called PASS ID, would have a vested interest in the views presented in the article since it presents PASS ID in a positive light. While the article presents several viewpoints, the thrust appears to be to promote PASS ID and to demonstrate the collective opinion that REAL ID is too cumbersome and expensive. Sources: This article uses direct quotes and attributed sources, plus an MP3 download of testimony before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. No bibliography or links are provided other than a list of articles pertaining to this issue at the bottom of the article. Coverage, Timeliness: The information is current, supports other news releases, and pertains to issues, however it is not comprehensive.

Search Engine: ASK.com
Search Statement: (U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND "REAL ID"
****.COM
Hsu, Spencer S. The Washington Post. Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law. 14 June, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302036.html?sid=ST2009072002461

Authority: Mr. Hsu writes many articles for the Washington Post on Immigration Law, Homeland Security, and terrorist issues. His other articles indicates a familiarity with law, policies, and political events surrounding security and issues pertaining to U.S. citizens. Sources: While the article quotes several sources, few links are offered to find this information. There is a feature that allows a reader to click on a name of a Senator to view their voting record. Other information is attributed to particular sources which could be verified by using the information given in the article. Purpose and Evenness: This article informed and educated readers regarding the latest information over the controversial REAL ID cards. Many sides of the issue were presented to inform the general audience. This article was helpful in that it provided more recent information on the status of this government policy. Coverage and Timeliness: This information supports other articles regarding the status of the REAL ID cards and the opposition. It also covers the Obama administration plan for new policy and is relevant and timely for this subject.

Search Engine: ASK.com
Search Statement: (U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND "REAL ID" ****.ORG
Electronic Privacy and Information Center. National ID and the Real ID Act. May 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://epic.org/privacy/id-cards

No author listed.
This site is from EPIC.org, although, curiously, the site can also be accessed through 'privacy.com'. When I clicked on several links to information on the site, privacy.com was often the primary URL citation for accessing information although the same information comes up when EPIC.org is searched.
Authority: Since this is an information site, most of the material available links to other information such as government and news links. On the site are a list of people responsible for the material through this organization and many of the board members would be considered to have high level credentials such as professors, government consultants, and noted authors of books along these subjects. Many credentials indicate a reputation for expertise and knowledge as evidenced by their association with universities, teaching positions, and government associations in the same fields. Sources: There is an abundance of factual information as presented through links to the original material. This includes news articles, pdf's from state government documents, original documents describing laws and intention, and archived history from primary sources outlining specific details and sources. Purpose and Evenness: The obvious purpose is to educate and inform using original documents to demonstrate a particular point of view. The opinion is very obviously against ID cards, most notably REAL ID cards, and the abundance of material presented shows that they have plenty to draw from in presenting their opinion. I could not find many incidents of another point of view that was not countered in some way using links to primary sources in order to refute any other perspective. This organization's stated goals indicate that it is dedicated to civil liberties and operates with "no clients, no customers, and no shareholders." It is aimed at a general audience and is easy to navigate and understand. For the purpose of finding historical documents and a timeline that demonstrates previous law and current proposals, this site was a gold mine. Coverage and Timeliness: Most documents on the page first accessed were dated before May 2008, however, I have found this to be consistent with other documents I have searched. Most of the activity regarding this issue took place before this date and seems to have stagnated until recently due to opposition by state governments and groups opposing the implementation of ID cards. Should one want to delve deeper into the subject, a click on "Press" reveals a myriad of articles written by news organizations and staff members about privacy issues, some as recently as November, 2009. EPIC.org puts out an annual report, the latest being 2007-2008.

Search Engine: ASK.com
Search Statement: (U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND "REAL ID"
****.EDU
Ehret, Christian. Jurist Legal News & Research. Real ID Act reform legislation introduced in Senate. 16 June, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/06/senator-introduces-real-id-act-reform.php

Authority: The author writes many articles on political subjects. No credentials are given regarding authority. A search only turned up other articles attributed to Ehret. The Jurist, however, is a non-profit legal research service using volunteers in government and legal fields and published through the University of Pittsburgh. They are dedicated to finding primary sources, reporting quickly and objectively, and offering information in a manner that is understandable to the general public as well as legal students, free of ads and commercials. Sources, Purpose, Evenness: Links to many sources are abundant on this site. Rather than in footnotes, they are embedded links right in the document. Information is presented as fact with numerous links for verification. Its purpose is to inform and educate. Since there has been much opposition to the REAL ID Act and some controversy surrounding the new PASS ID Act, the tone of the article relays this tenor. I did not sense any bias in relaying this information. Coverage, Timeliness: This article is very current and reflects the most recent efforts of the Obama administration. While not a comprehensive article, it supports information found in most other news articles and provides enough links to continue a search of the issues.

Unit 7 Search Tools Ask.com

The search tool I chose was Ask.com, a very useful site. Once I clicked on 'advanced,' I discovered several handy tools available to me. This area allows you to use different forms similar to Boolean. I put in the phrases I used for the previous assignment in Unit 6, but found my results were very different from the reliability of the periodicals found on ProQuest. It was clear to see that this sight contained more ads and a necessity to take a close look at contents rather than ranking. Nevertheless, I would probably be inclined to use this search tool because of its many options.

Five useful tools out of a large number available are:

1. The advanced search areas where, besides use of truncation and phrase searches, you can narrow your search statements down to and exact phrase, no phrase or in at least one area. The tool helps you narrow down the information by asking for location on the page, language, and when the page was modified.
2. A dictionary search as easy as one click of the mouse
3. An area where questions can be posed using a combination of ask.com and subscription data to Bloglines called 'Ask Blogs' which connects you to different blogs considered popular and trustworthy. This area has a vast array of information on nearly any subject conceivable.
4. A shopping search area with links to different links for purchasing a number of items based on value, geographical location, price, and reliability.
5. A white pages search for not only people, but schools, doctors, government agencies to name a few

Research Journal Part 3

1. What is the current position of the United States regarding the use of mandatory national ID cards, as initiated in Great Britain, but previously rejected for use in the United States?

(U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND identification
Using ProQuest

2. Magazine
Sundeen, M., and J. Meadows. "The REAL ID Rebellion." State Legislatures 1 Mar. 2008: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.

I chose this article because it was one of the most current magazine articles on this matter. This article outlined the history of the use of identification cards in the U.S. and the need for updated standards especially for national security and transportation. It also described concern for privacy issues, costs to the states, and the rebellion that is apparent by state governments to implement the REAL ID Act of 2005; all issues related to how the government will decide current use.

3. Scholarly Journal
Charlotte Twight. "Limited Government: Ave Atque Vale." The Independent Review 10.4 (2006):485-510. Alt-Press Watch (APW), ProQuest. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.

This article was useful because it was written shortly after the time the REAL ID Act of 2005 was passed and introduced to the public. It questions the official purpose of a national ID card despite the assurances of the government. As a scholarly journal article, this report contained references in an extensive bibliography and the author is the Brandt Professor of Free Enterprise Capitalism at Boise State University. A search of the publication's web page described the quarterly journal as peer-reviewed without political affiliation with a goal of research, education, and the study of government policy.

4. Newspaper
Andrea Fuller. "Effort to Replace Federal Driver's License Mandate Gains:[National Desk]." New York Times 16 Jul 2009, Late Edition (East Coast): New York Times, ProQuest. Web. 1 Nov. 2009.

Since the deadlines imposed by the government in the REAL ID Act of 2005 have passed as reported in publications earlier than 2008, it was necessary to find out the current status of the law. This article described the new program called PASS ID, the anticipated reduced costs to the states, and the continued rebellion of state governments to both REAL ID and PASS ID.

5. My initial search statement worked quite well although I found I did not have to use "identification card" to achieve the results I wanted. The second search statement I proposed in our Boolean unit was more detailed and brought up articles more focused on transportation and immigration laws. Since I wanted a broader scope and hoped to find more journal articles, I went back to the original statement and removed the truncation. This proved successful in broadening the number of what was described as scholarly journal articles, although very few had references attached to the article or a mention of the author's credentials. I attempted to add "REAL ID" to the search, but again found a large number of immigration and transportation articles. I also tried several combinations of 'mandat*' and 'regulat*', but this did not yield more articles that applied to the broader issues of privacy, national security, and a current implementation of the law. Since the original search statement also brought up articles referring to the REAL ID Act of 2005 without this phrase in the search statement, I stayed with the search statement as indicated at the beginning of this assignment.