Journalism Research Resources

This Web site is geared toward the information needs of CSUN Journalism majors and includes resources relevant to print and broadcast journalism; photojournalism, and Spanish language media. Resources for both the working journalist and researcher of journalism as a discipline are provided. See also News Reporting & Writing Research Resources, Public Relations Research Resources, Researching Ethnic and Cultural Groups in Los Angeles, and Mass Communication Research Resources for related information.

Sources Overview

Choosing the best sources to use for background material involves several factors, including topic under investigation, currency of the information needed, and the depth of coverage required.
Why not use Wikipedia? View this video (Flash) from the Rutgers University Libraries on why Wikipedia is not the best source to use.

Finding Articles

Overview | News Sources | Journalism Research Sources | Spanish-Language Journalism

Overview of Periodical Indexes/Databases

Periodicals (magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and scholarly journals) are excellent sources of current and/or specific information for research projects. Often, they are considered primary sources for research.
It's a good idea to formulate a search strategy before using a periodical database.
The following databases use Boolean Logic (AND, OR, NOT) and truncation/wildcards symbols (*, ?, etc.) for combining keywords and phrases to locate articles on specific topics.
For a complete list of available databases, see Databases A-Z.
FYI, you can also connect to the Library's databases and full-text periodicals from off campus

News Sources

ABYZ Newspapers & News Media Guide: Exhaustive directory of links to newspapers and news media web sites arranged by region and country. Indicates the type of media (newspaper, broadcast, internet, magazine, press agency) and the media focus (business, general, sport, miscellaneous), as well as the language.
Daily News (Los Angeles): The Oviatt Library subscribes to the Daily News online from 1989 to present in various databases, and in microfilm from 1981 to present. Under it's former titles: Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet, the Library has it on microfilm from 1911-1976 and as the Valley News and Greensheet from 1976-1981.
Ethnic NewsWatch + Ethnic NewsWatch: A History (ProQuest): Full-text collection of the ethnic, minority, and native press, including Latino/Hispanic publications. Over 270 titles, 1960- present.
LA Beez: "LA Beez is an online collaboration of ethnic media organizations featuring hyperlocal news content covering the metropolitan Los Angeles area."
LexisNexis Academic: LexisNexis Academic is a full-text database containing news, legal, biographical, and business information from over 12,000 publications. Click on Easy Search (default) or Power Search from the General toolbar, or News from the toolbar to search newspapers and other sources. Easy Search does not use Boolean (AND, OR, NOT) operators and searches large groups of the most popular sources. The Power Search or News options allow Boolean logic, searching within specific parts of a document (headline, byline, lead paragraph, etc.), and the ability to search more specific sources. In addition to sources such as "Major U.S. and World Publications," "Major World Publications (non-English)," "blogs," "TV and radio broadcast transcripts" (news broadcasts, political campaigns), and legal or business information in Easy Search, the Power Search or News options include "U.S. Newspapers and Wires," "magazine stories,'" and topical news sources (business, legal, university, and healthcare) among others. For tips on searching for editorials in LexisNexis Academic, see News Search: Find An Editorial Or Opinion Piece. Click Legal to search law reviews, federal and state laws and court cases; click Business to search company information and other related sources; and click People for biographical information. Dates of coverage in LexisNexis vary by publication. NOTE: Due to publisher restrictions, Lexis Nexis Academic users may only access the latest 6 months of the Los Angeles Times. Use Proquest Newspapers for complete coverage of the Los Angeles Times online.
Los Angeles Times: The Oviatt Library subscribes to the online version of the Los Angeles Times from 1886 to the present via Proquest Newspapers. To search the current file from 1986 to present, select Proquest Newspapers, enter search terms and any relevant date limits, click the "more search options" tab, and enter "Los Angeles Times" in the publication title search box, then click "search." The Los Angeles Times Historical database provides cover-to-cover access from 1881-1986, including the advertisements and classifieds, in .PDF format.
ProQuest Newspapers: Full text for 500+ U.S. and international news sources. Includes coverage of 150+ major U.S. newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune, plus hundreds of other news sources and news wires, including the Daily News. Click the More Search Options link from the main search screen to reveal choices for limiting by Document Type, such as editorial, speech, and review.
Truveo--News Videos: Free Web service showing up-to-the minute and older clips of news videos from a variety of U.S. and foreign sources.

Specialized Periodical Sources for Journalism Research

ABI/INFORM and ProQuest Business Databases: Access to almost 3000 full- text business journals, many full text newspapers/newsletters and company reports, from 1971 to present. Good for articles on organizational communication, public relations, media business, and related areas.
Art Full Text (Wilson): Covering 400 art publications, including those relevant to photojournalism and graphic design. Includes indexing 1984-, abstracts 1994-, and select full text 1997- .
ARTstor: A digital archive containing nearly 500,000 world art and architecture images, including an extensive collection of photographs from the renowned Magnum Photo group of documentary photographers. Requires Sun Java 1.3 and Flash Player 6.
Communication and Mass Media Complete (EBSCOhost): Indexes and abstracts over 600 journals and trade publications; includes full text for over 240 journals. CMMC incorporates the content of CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association) and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Penn State). Subjects covered include journalism, public relations, mass media, photojournalism, communication studies, speech, linguistics, communicative disorders, deaf studies, advertising, and related areas of interest to practitioners and educators in these fields. Dates of coverage vary by journal.
Film & Television Literature Index (EBSCOHost): Indexes over 350 U.S. and international film and television periodicals, including popular magazines, scholarly journals, and trade publications. In addition, selected content is chosen from thousands of additional publications that contain relevant content. Dates of coverage vary.
Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (EBSCOHost): Issues such as freedom of speech, censorship, Internet filtering, and technology's effect on communication are covered in the library and information science journals, which are indexed and abstracted in LISTA.

Specialized Periodical Sources for Spanish-Language Journalism Research

Chicano Database (FirstSearch): Over 54,000 items on Mexican-American and Chicano topics, 1960 - present.
El Nuevo Sol: A bilingual (Spanish-English) multimedia website of the interdisciplinary program in Spanish-language journalism at CSUN.
Ethnic NewsWatch + Ethnic NewsWatch: A History (ProQuest): Full-text collection of the ethnic, minority, and native press, including Latino/Hispanic publications. Over 270 titles, 1960- present.
HAPI Online: Hispanic American Periodicals Index: Indexes more than 500 key social science and humanities journals published throughout the world. Many of the citations are linked to full text. 1970 - present.
Hispanic American Newspapers: Digital archive of Spanish-language and some bilingual Spanish-English newspapers printed in the U.S. 1808-1980. Based on the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project.

JSTOR Latin American Studies: Comprehensive archive of back issues of core scholarly journals in Latin American studies.
LexisNexis Academic: LexisNexis Academic is a full-text database containing news, legal, biographical, and business information. To search Spanish language news sources, click on News from the toolbar, change the sources menu to Spanish Language News, Combined. Click the "i" button to get a list of sources searched in this group. Enter Spanish language keywords in the search box(es).
Newspapers in Latin America: This page has links to newspapers in Latin America and around the world, including Spanish-language newspapers in the U.S. Also links to broadcast media. Maintained by LANIC, the Latin American Network Information Center.
La Opinion: The Oviatt Library subscribes to La Opinion online from 1992 to present, and on microfilm from 1926 to present.

Locating Periodicals

How to Locate Articles Online or in the Library
For periodicals not held by the Oviatt Library, request an Interlibrary Loan or search WorldCat to see if other local libraries have the periodicals you need.
To see a list of the journals specific to journalism, public relations, etc. that the Oviatt Library subscribes to, from the Library Catalog's Basic search page, select keyword and enter journalism periodicals (or public relations, mass communication*, mass media, etc. along with periodicals) in the Search for: box. From the Limit to: pulldown menu, change "entire collection" to "Periodicals/Serials," and then click Submit Search. Note: any periodical title proceeded by the phrase [electronic resource] or [online] means that it is available via the Internet.
To see a list of the electronic journals in journalism and related disciplines, browse the lists of titles on the CSUN List of Electronic Periodicals.

Finding Books: Check the Library Catalog

Books may be searched in the Library Catalog by author, title, Library of Congress Subject Heading or keyword.
To see a list of specific Library of Congress Subject Headings, from the Library Catalog's Basic search page, perform a Subject search on the word "journalism," or "public relations," or "photojournalism" etc., and click on the "related subjects" link.
For books not held by the Oviatt Library, request an Interlibrary Loan or search WorldCat to see if other local libraries have the books you need.

Reference Resources

(Note: Location: REF RM refers to the Reference Room on the main floor, Oviatt Library. For serial publications, earlier editions are usually found on the upper floors of the Library or in storage.)

Directories | Handbooks & Stylebooks | Encyclopedias | Biographical Research

Directories

ABYZ Newspapers & News Media Guide
Bowker's News Media Directory (Former Title: Working Press of the Nation)
Location: REF RM Z6951 .W6
Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook
Location: REF RM HE8689 .B77
Editor and Publisher International Year Book
Location: REF RM PN4709 .E35
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Location: REF RM Z6951 .A97
The Iowa guide: scholarly journals in mass communication and related fields.
Location:Floor3 (Ref) PN4700 .G3 1988
Newspapers in Latin America
Standard rate and data service (SDRS)
Location: REF RM HF5905 .S7321
Ulrichsweb.com (Ulrich's Periodicals Directory provides detailed information on more than 300,000 periodicals of all types published worldwide, including basic circulation data and publisher information)
Who Owns What: Columbia Journalism Review ("guide to what the major media companies own")

Handbooks & Stylebooks

For additional style manuals, search the Library Catalog under the subjects "Journalism Style Manuals" and "Journalism Authorship." For additional guides to doing investigative research, search under the subject, "Investigative reporting" or "Journalism data processing."

Associated Press broadcast news handbook / Brad Kalbfeld. New York : McGraw-Hill, c2001.
Location: REF RM PN4783 .K35 2001
The Associated Press stylebook and briefing on media law : fully revised and updated with a new Internet guide and glossary . Cambridge, Mass : Perseus, 2000.
Location: REF RM PN4783 .A83 2000
Attkisson, Sharyl. Writing right for broadcast and Internet news. Boston : Allyn and Bacon, c2003.
Location: FLOOR3 PN4784.B75 A88 2003
A Broadcast news manual of style / R.H. MacDonald. New York : Longman, c1987.
Location FLOOR3 PN4784.B75 M24 1987
Broadcast news writing stylebook / by Robert A. Papper. Delaware, Ohio : Robert A. Papper, c1987.
Location FLOOR3 PN4783 .P3 1987
Library Resources for Communication Studies: Subject Guides. Chicago, IL: Communication Studies Committee, Education and Behavioral Sciences Section, Association of College & Research Libraries.
Covers core information resources including, associations and organizations, conferences, listservs, journal indexes and abstracts, lists of libraries with special collections, and research guides for key areas in communication studies, journalism, and mass media. Check the Library Catalog or Databases A-Z to see if CSUN has the resource.
The language of news: a journalist's pocket reference / Jack Botts. Ames : Iowa State University Press, 1994.
Location: FLOOR3 PN4783 .B68 1994
Handbook of Public Relations / Robert L. Heath, editor ; Gabriel Vasquez, contributing editor.
Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c2000.
Location: FLOOR2 HD59 .H267 2000
Los Angeles Times Stylebook : a manual for writers, editors, journalists, and students / compiled by Frederick S. Holley.New York : New American Library, c1981.
Location: FLOOR3 PN4783 .H56 1981
Manual de estilo. Washington D.C. : National Association of Hispanic Journalists : Knight Ridder [distributor], 2003.
Location: FLOOR3 PN4783 .N38 2003
The New York Times manual of style and usage. / Allan M. Siegal and William G. Connolly.
New York : Times Books, c1999.
Location: REF RM PN4783 .S57 1999
Weinburg, Steve. The Reporter's Handbook: an investigator's guide to documents and
techniques. NY: St. Martin's, 1996.
Location: FLOOR3 PN4781 .R38 1996
Reporter's handbook on media law. Sacramento, Calif. : California Newspaper Publishers Association, 1989-90. Note: CNPA reports 2007-08 edition in press (8/6/07).
Location: FLOOR2 (Ref) KFC535.A15 R47 1989-90

Encyclopedias

For additional encyclopedias related to journalism, search the Library Catalog using the keyword search for: "mass media and encyclopedias" or "journalism and dictionaries."

Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications, Donald H. Johnston, editor-in-chief. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2003.
Location: REF RM P87.5 .E532 2003
Encyclopedia of new media: an essential reference to communication and technology, Steve Jones, editor. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications, 2003.
Encyclopedia of public relations, Robert L. Heath, editor. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage, 2005.
Hudson, Robert V. Mass media : a chronological encyclopedia of television, radio, motion pictures, magazines, newspapers, and books in the United States. Garland reference library of social science ; v. 310. :New York : Garland Pub., 1987.
Location: REF RM P92.U5 H77 1987
Kurian, George. World press encyclopedia. New York : Facts on File, 1982.
Coverage of the world press, its history, economics, censorship, education and training. Location: REF RM PN4735 .K87 v.1-4
Paneth, Donald. The Encyclopedia of American journalism. New York : Facts on File, 1983.
This encyclopedia of newspapers, magazines, radio, television, photography, newsreels and documentaries lists more than 1,000 entries. Influential figures in media and journalism are also covered.
Location: REFRM PN4855 .P26 1983
Watson, James. Dictionary of media and communication studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Location: REF RM P87.5 .W38 2006
World press encyclopedia: a survey of press systems worldwide, Amanda C. Quick, project editor. Detroit : Gale, c2003.
This comprehensive survey of press and electronic media covers over 200 countries and their systems. Arranged alphabetically by country, entries include overview and background, economic framework, general characteristics, number and type of media, press laws, censorship issues, state-press relations, education and training in journalism, and more.

Biographical Research

Biographical Dictionary of American Journalism. New York : Greenwood Press, 1989.
Location: REF RM PN4871 .B56 1989
The Encyclopedia of American Journalism. New York : Facts on File, c1983.
Location: REF RM PN4855 .P26 1983
Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Journalists :New York : Garland, 1986.
Location: REF RM PN4871 .T34 1986
For books by or about specific people, search the Library Catalog by the name of the person as an author or subject (last name, first name). To search for collections of biographies by type of person or profession, search the Library Catalog using the keyword search, for example: journalists and biography.
The LexisNexis Academic "People" search is useful to locate information about people in business, industry, politics, etc. This People Search tutorial demonstrates how to do this.
The Biography Index (Wilson) covers biographical information from more than 2,700 English-language periodicals; as well as books, autobiographies, bibliographies, biographies, critical studies, fiction, drama, pictorial works, poetry, juvenile literature, obituaries, journals, collections of letters, book reviews, and interviews.
Marquis Who's Who on the Web has biographies of over 1.4 million people of note, in the United States and around the world, 1985-present. Access limited to 1 user at a time.

Journalism Web Sites

Facts, Opinions & Statistics

The following web sites can lead you to facts, opinions, statistics, and background information to support your news gathering and research.

American Factfinder (Population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the U.S. Census. Use their tutorials to learn more.)
Community Information by Zip Code (links to sources of demographic data by zip code, which is useful for finding information about the San Fernando Valley)
Electronic Reference Books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, etc.)
Government Reference Sources (Full text government reference sources organized by broad topic, e.g., education, crime, population, etc.)
FedStats.gov (Gateway to federal sources of statistics.)
Gale Virtual Reference Library (encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources)
Government Information: Federal, State, Local, International
Government Reference Sources (Links to federal sources of statistics and other information on crime, legal, business, education, etc. topics)
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
News on the Web
NewsBank Special Reports (Focus on topics of current interest, including current and background information, statistics, maps, images, web sites, and suggested search terms. Updated daily.)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (Focus on controversial topics. In addition to periodical articles, includes primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Web sites. Note: Only two users can search this database at the same time! However, Gale Power Search contains content from Opposing Viewpoints. After searching a topic in Gale Power Search, click on the "Books" result tab to find "viewpoint articles" and "topic overviews"; click on the "Multimedia" tab to link to Web sites and Podcasts.)
Public Opinion Polls and Surveys
Public Records Directory
RefDesk.com--Reference, Facts, News
San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center: Census Data (Provides Census 2000 and American Community Survey data updates for 2005-2007 on the regions and/or zip codes of the Valley)
San Fernando Valley Statistics & Facts
Statistical Data Sources

Government, Political, and Legal Web Sites

General

Legal Research Sources (Links to federal, state, and local sources of legislative, judicial, and administrative law.)
League of Women Voters
Yahoo--Public Policy Institutes (Links to various "think tanks" and other public policy research institutes.)

California and Local

State of California
California and Los Angeles Government Web Links
California Courts
California Department of Finance (has downloadable statistics on population, households, etc. by counties, cities, etc. )
California Secretary of State
California State Senate
California State Assembly
California State University
California Voter Foundation
Legislative Analyst's Office ("California's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor.")
Los Angeles Government Sources
Rough & Tumble ("A Daily Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics")
University of California

United States

Business and Industry Sources

The following web sites will lead you to sources of information about companies and industries.

Advertising
Business + Economics Databases
Listing of business periodical, company, and statistical databases offered by the Library.
Company / Investment Information
Industry Information

Citing Your Sources

MLA, APA, & Other Citation Style Guides
Citation Machine - (Provides an interactive tool to help create reference citations for research papers. Includes various print and electronic resources. Note web site disclaimer before using.)
EndNote Web - (Service to manage citations and produce a works cited or references list. Import or manually enter citations from a variety of sources and choose from several citation styles to create a works cited/references list, including APA and MLA. EBSCOHost databases, including Communication and Mass Media Complete, allow the direct import of saved citations into EndNote Web. Detailed instructions for setting up and using EndNote Web are available.)

Avoiding Plagiarism

Why Cite? Avoiding Plagiarism
Interactive Tutorial on How to Avoid Plagiarism (Flash) from Rutgers University

Prepared by Kathy Dabbour Communication Studies & Journalism Librarian

18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge CA 91330 (818) 677-2285

Last updated: 06-Jan-2010
Library Webmaster

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