The Los Angeles Watts Riot Collection is comprised predominantly of newspaper clippings from the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Los Angeles Herald-Dispatch, Los Angeles Sentinel and several smaller local papers. The clippings date from the first day of the riots. The collection also contains magazine articles, studies, reports and newspaper clippings covering the aftermath of riot and related civil disorders and racial issues of the period. The collection has been divided into four series: Day-to-Day News Coverage (1965 August 13-19), Riot Aftermath (1965-1970), Riot-Related Issues (1963-1969), and Riot-Related Racial Issues (1965-1969).

Series I, Day-to-Day News Coverage, includes newspaper clippings from major local and city papers documenting the riots as they broke out and continued to swell. The newspaper clippings are arranged in chronological order.

Series II, Riot Aftermath, includes newspaper clippings and magazine articles documenting the events, studies and personalities that came to the forefront to find the causes of the riots. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject.

Series III, Riot-Related Issues, consists of newspaper clippings, magazine articles and a participant study documenting the causes and events that surrounded the riots. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject.

Series IV, Riot-Related Racial Issues, consists of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, pamphlets and reports documenting the history of race relations, causes of racial violence and related issues at both the national and local level. Of importance to the study of civil disorder is the report, "Status Inconsistency, Relative Deprivation and the Detroit Riot," written by members of the faculty at the University of Western Ontario, September 1969. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject.