Ben Edelman, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School who studies Internet advertising, reviewed the computer code on the seven sites at the request of the Journal.

WSJ: Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole

Such studies, coupled with advertising campaigns playing up the possibility of finding love online, have helped the online-dating industry to prosper.

ECONOMIST: Online dating

AnalyticsDNA was commissioned to audit and aggregate the campaign effectiveness studies of a new form of advertising called the Type-Ins.

FORBES: Brand Impact Online: New Thinking Inside The Box

Many of us came to the profession out of other portals not specifically tied to advertising, such as Creative Writing, Media Studies or the Art school.

FORBES: Less Fartsy, More Artsy: The Evolution of Advertising Into an Art Form

Outside the courts, the industry is also fighting legislators' moves to restrict advertising and smoking in public places, as more and more medical studies reveal the dangers of passive smoking.

ECONOMIST: Another $280 billion, please | The

While companies typically slash sales and marketing budgets during tough times, some studies have suggested they would do better to turn up the advertising volume, says Reibstein.

FORBES: Magazine Article

While consumers may intuitively believe that advertising to children and obesity are joined at the hip, the most comprehensive studies addressing that question are far from definitive.

FORBES: Is 2013 a Watershed Year for the Anti-Obesity Movement?

Two new studies confirm something that most parents already know: Children are often surrounded by junk food advertising and fast-food restaurants.

NPR: Kids Have Easy Access to Junk Food