The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "logic" ...
-
The Web as an Investigative Tool
Dowdell outlines how to make the most of the internet as an investigative tool - from creating a search strategy to taking full advantage of the search abilities of the search engine you use. She references public record portals; government information portals; useful social media tools; and other useful tips. She also touches on searching the dead web for archived/cached materials
Tags: deep web; search engines; public records; backgrounding; government information; social media; Boolean logic; RSS feeds
-
My Favorite (Excel) Things
This handout contains a variety of functions and tricks that can be used for cleaning and/or analyzing data in Excel. It covers: date functions; text or string functions; logical functions; and lots of other helpful tricks.
Tags: excel; computer-assisted reporting;
-
Elaboration Model
The Elaboration Model is a systematic method for analyzing the effects of other variables on an initially significant relationship. Overall, it gives journalists a better understanding of how and why the initial relationship works and how other variables affect it. Many variables are likely to affect a relationship in social science, and the model helps journalists assess their effects.
Tags: chi-square test; relationship; analysis; logic; variables; communication; interpretation
-
My Favorite (Excel) Things
This thirteen page tipsheet is chock full of tips about analyzing data in Microsoft Excel. Along with many other tricks, Webster covers date functions, text and string functions, logical functions, and sum and count functions. Webster also explains common error messages and how to correct them.
Tags: spreadsheets; data analysis; computer-assisted reporting; data manipulation; Microsoft Excel
-
Using BLS' Covered Employment and Wages Program to Describe a Community's Economic Health
Richard M. Stein of KLIOS Inc. explains how to use the Bureau of Labor Statistics' covered employment and wages program data to assess your community's economic health.
Tags: bureau of labor statistics; employment and wages program; economy; money; data
-
Writing for Impact
You're about to wrap up a fabulous earth-shaking investigative project and it's time to write the story. Start here! Making a story "lean and logical" and not reminding your readers how long an investigation took are among the 20 pragmatic tips these top editors offer. This is the tipsheet for reporters interested in crafting a story that showcases information and adds that professional polish and eagle-eye clarity.
Tags: focus; outline; self-importance; length; writing style; distracting information; tension
-
Introduction to Search Engines, Boolean Search Logic and Finding Information Online
Do you know when to use Google or Altavista? Sullivan asserts that there is no science to successful Internet searches; it's more of an art. This tipsheet includes ways of finding information online, knowing or guessing where the information is, using catalog search engines, selecting the right key word(s) and using specialty search engines.
Tags: Boolean; search engines; links; CAR; image tags; anchors; URLs; domain; host; HTML tags
-
Tipsheet No: 473
This package of hands-on exercises will help you surf the Internet, use boolean logic to get the most out of search engines like Yahoo, Lycos and WebCrawler and take you through the procedures of examining campaign finance records with a spreadsheet and a database manager.
Tags: CAR; Newsgroups; Listservs; FTP; MicroSoft Excel; FoxPro
-
Tipsheet No: 394
This one-page handout gives helpful tips for the care and feeding of whistleblowers. Although the tips are very basic and logical, it is important to keep these things in mind when dealing with these types of sources.
Tags: Interviews 1 page
-
Getting Started with Databases
A 1991 IU National Institute for Advanced Reporting article on getting started with databases; includes an introduction to the fundamentals of databases, the logic of database manipulation, the use of reports and how databases meet the needs of journalists.
Tags: 9 pages CAJ CAR