Mass Communication Research Resources
Finding Articles
Overview
| General Sources
| Mass Communication
Sources
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
General Periodical 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.
- General
Multi-Subject Databases
- Provides links to library databases for locating articles on almost any
topic in a variety of magazines, scholarly journals, online reference books,
and other sources. Allows a simultaneous "multisearch" of up to
10 library databases.
- 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.
- News
and Current Issues
- Provides links to various library databases for locating the news, both
current and historical, including online full-text newspapers, transcripts
of television and radio broadcast news, and other sources. Allows a simultaneous
"multisearch" of up to 10 library databases.
- 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.
Specialized Periodical Sources for Mass Communication
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.
- Arts
and Humanities Citation Index (FirstSearch2)
- Indexes about 1,300 journals from 1980 to present in the arts and humanities,
including core journals in speech, language, rhetoric, and performing arts.
Identifies the cited references listed in the authors' bibliographies, which
are also searchable.
- 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. A list
of journal titles covered by CMMC is available. Includes cited reference
searching to find out who has cited a particular author.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- MLA International
Bibliography (Gale)
- MLA International Bibliography, which is a publication of the
Modern Language Association of America, covers literatures, languages, linguistics,
and folklore. From 1926 to present, it provides author and subject indexing
to over 4,000 journals, as well as books, essay collections, working papers,
proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies.
- Project
MUSE
- Project Muse includes full-text scholarly journals in the arts, humanities,
social sciences, and sciences, including journals in film, theatre, and
performing arts; classics, language, and music. A list
of the journals covered by Project MUSE is available.
- Sage Journals
Online
- Full text access to journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences,
including almost 20 communication and media studies journals.
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
Locating Book Reviews
The following databases are useful for locating book reviews. Enter the author
and/or title of the book as keywords and follow any of the specific instructions
listed under each database:
- Book
Review Digest Plus (Wilson)
- Indexes reviews of current fiction and non-fiction from over 8,000 periodicals
covered by other Wilson databases and also has over 100,000 full text reviews.
1983- present.
- Communication
and Mass Media Complete (EBSCOhost)
- Locates book reviews from journals and trade publications in communication
and mass media. Choose the "book review" option from the document
type pulldown menu to limit to book reviews.
- JSTOR
- Comprehensive archive of back issues of core scholarly journals in the
arts, business, humanities, sciences and social sciences. Check the box
to limit search to book reviews.
LexisNexis
Academic - LexisNexis is a good source for book reviews. Use the News
search option and click on "Book, Movie, Music, Play, and Video Reviews"
from the source menu. The "Book, Movie, Music, Play,
and Video Reviews" group file contains book reviews from newspapers,
such as the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Library
Journal, as well as a variety of trade publications.
Theses and Dissertations
- Masters Theses written by Mass Communications MA students in the CSUN
Department of Journalism are listed
by author, title, and the general subject, "Dissertations Academic
CSUN Journalism" in the Library
Catalog. All CSUN Journalism theses have the basic call number PN4788
.Z95 and are shelved on the 3rd floor of the Oviatt Library.
- Dissertations
and Theses (Proquest) Full text collection of masters' theses and dissertations
(does not include CSUN) in the Humanities and Social Sciences, covering
more than 1 million dissertations and theses, from 1637-present.
- Dissertations
Abstracts International (Firstsearch2) Provides indexing to doctoral
dissertations accepted by over 500 institutions. Citations dated from 1861
to present are searchable (author, title, abstract keyword, and institution);
abstracts are included from 1980 to present. Dissertations and theses located
in DAI may be requested through Interlibrary
Loan; if not available, or if preferred, one may order copies directly
from UMI Dissertation Express
for a fee.
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
- 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)
Handbooks
To find additional research handbooks, perform a keyword search in the
Library Catalog and enter
terms such as "handbook*," "research," "method*,"
"measure*," etc. along with journalism-related keywords, such
as method* and journalism.
- Berger, Arthur Asa. Media and communication research methods:
an introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2000. Location: FLOOR3 P91.3 .B385
2000
- Communication Studies Committee. Library
Resources for Communication Studies: Subject Guides. Chicago,
IL: Education and Behavioral Sciences Section, Association of College &
Research Libraries. Last update 8 July 2008.
Covers core information resources for key areas in communication studies,
including mass media. Check the Library
Catalog or Databases
A-Z to see if CSUN has the resource.
- Encyclopedia
of Evaluation (2005). Sandra Mathison, ed. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
- Encyclopedia
of Measurement and Statistics (2007). Neil J. Salkind,
ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Publications.
- Encyclopedia
of Survey Research Methods (2008). Paul J. Lavrakas, ed.
Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.
- Rubin, Rebecca B. & Philip Palmgreen, et al. (Eds.). (2004) Communication
research measures: a sourcebook. Mahwah, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, 2004.
Location: REF RM P91.3 .C62 2004
Provides various questionnaires, tests, scales, and measures in communications.
See also Library
Resources for Individual and Group Assessment for more information about
locating information about and/or actual tests.
- The Sage
encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (2008). Lisa
M. Given, ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- The Sage
encyclopedia of social science research methods (2004).
Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, Tim Futing Liao, eds. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
- The SAGE handbook of media studies. John D.
H. Downing, ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2004.
Location: FLOOR3 P90 .S18 2004
- The Sage handbook of performance studies. D.
Soyini Madison and Judith Hamera, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006.
Location: FLOOR3 PN1590.S6 S24 2006
Encyclopedias
For additional encyclopedias related to journalism, search the Library
Catalog using the keyword search for: "Mass media and Encyclopedias"
or "media and dictionaries."
- Encyclopedia of international media and communications.
Donald H. Johnston, ed. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press, 2003.
Location: REF RM P87.5 .E532 2003 v.1-4
- 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.
- History of the mass media in the United States: an encyclopedia.
Margaret A. Blanchard, ed. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998.
Location: REF RM P92.U5 H55 1998
- 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
For books by or about specific journalists, search the Library
Catalog by the name of the journalist or media personality as an author
or subject (last name, first name). To search for collections of biographies,
search the Library Catalog
using the keyword search: journalists and biography and dictionaries. The
LexisNexis Academic
"People" search is also useful.
- 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
Media Web Sites
Facts, Opinions & Statistics
The following web sites can lead you to facts, opinions, statistics, and
background information to support your research.
- American
Factfinder (Population, housing, economic, and geographic data from
the U.S. Census. Use their tutorials
to learn more.)
- Electronic
Reference Books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, 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 Statistics & Facts
- Statistical
Data Sources
Government, Political, and Legal Web Sites
General
California and Local
United States
International
Business and Industry Sources
The following web sites will lead you to sources of information about companies
and industries.
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
Kathy Dabbour
Communication Studies & Journalism Librarian
