Media Theory and Methods

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
IM: jjarson1 (AIM, Yahoo, add @hotmail.com for MSN)

Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (AIM, Yahoo, add @hotmail.com for MSN)
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information.

What is a Literature Review?

Literature Reviews (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

How to Write a Literature Review (University of California, Santa Cruz)
http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html

Selected Reference Materials

Blanchard, Margaret A., ed. History of the Mass Media in the United States: An Encyclopedia. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.230973 B639h (Level A)

Donsbach, Wolfgang, ed. International Encyclopedia of Communication. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.203 I56e v.1-12 (Level A)

Johnston, Donald H., ed. Encyclopedia of International Media & Communications. San Diego, Calif.; London: Academic, 2003.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.2303 E56o v.1-4 (Level A)

Jones, Steve, ed. Encyclopedia of New Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.23403 J79e (Level A)

Newcomb, Horace, ed. Encyclopedia of Television, 2nd ed. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 384.5503 E56o v.1-4 (Level A)

Reina Schement, Jorge, ed. Encyclopedia of Communication & Information. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.203 E56o v.1-3 (Level A)

Watson, James, and Anne Hill. A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies, 4th ed. London; New York: Arnold; New York, NY: Distributed exclusively in the USA by St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.2 W339d, 1997 (Level A)

Trexler Library may also have reference works related to your particular topic. To find them, search the catalog or ask for help. Examples include:

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, ed. Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.23083 E56o v.1-2 (Level A)

Kaid, L. L., and Holtz-Bacha, C., eds.  Encyclopedia of Political Communication.  Los Angeles: Sage, 2008.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 320.014 K13e v.1-2 (Level A)

Kaid, L. L., and Holtz-Bacha, C., eds. SAGE Handbook of Political Advertising. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006. 
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 324.73 S129h (Level A)

Newton, David E. Violence and the Media: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1996.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 303.6 N562v (Level A)

Finding Books

TREXLER LIBRARY

Search the Trexler Library Catalog to find out what books, government publications, journals, videos, etc. the library owns.

GETTING THERE: Use the shortcut search box on the Library Homepage or Library Homepage  --  Library Catalogs (in the Quick Links box)  --  Trexler Library Catalog

OTHER LIBRARIES

WorldCat. To find books held by other libraries, search WorldCat, a database of over 60 million library records from around the country and world. Use the ILL button to request a book from another library. (ILL can take 10-14 days.)

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage  --  Library Catalogs (in Quick Links box)  --  Other Library Catalogs -- WorldCat

Finding Articles

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

  • See a list of all article databases via the Library Homepage  --  Databases A-Z (in the Quick Links box).
  • Check the Subject Guides (linked from the Library Homepage) for other recommended databases for this and other subject areas.
  • Not sure which database will have the best results for your topic? Try Search Central to search across many of the library's databases at once to identify those with the most results for your search. From the Library Homepage, use the Search Central search box in the tab on the Search Central link in the Quick Links box.

Specialized Databases: Media and Communication

Communication and Mass Media Complete
The most comprehensive database in communication studies. Contains abstracts and hundreds of journal titles in full-text.

Sage Journals Online
Provides access to all journals published by Sage, an important publisher in the field. Full text online for 1999-present.

Interdisciplinary Databases

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that covers most academic disciplines, including Media and Communications Studies. Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources. Includes many articles in full-text.

OmniFile (Wilson)
Multi-disciplinary database providing the complete content-indexing, abstracts, and full text-from six of Wilson's full-text databases, including Social Sciences Abstracts.  Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources. 

GETTING THE ARTICLES
  1. When searching for articles in library databases, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.
  2. If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
    • Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.
    • Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title or by ISSN . Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
  3. If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
    • Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.
    • Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage  --  Interlibrary Loan (in the Quick Links box)  --  Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

Citing Your Sources

For help using APA Style, consult the following resources:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. Washington, DC: APA, 2010.
Location: Trexler Library Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 P976m 2010 (Level A, at Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style, 6th ed.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2010.
Location: Trexler Library Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 C744r 2010 (Level A, at Reference Desk)

Trexler Library handout on using APA style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/apa_example.pdf

Writer's Handbook (University of Wisconsin--Madison)
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPA.html

For help managing your citations, consider using Zotero.

"Zotero is an easy-to-use yet powerful research tool that helps you gather, organize, and analyze sources (citations, full texts, web pages, images, and other objects), and lets you share the results of your research in a variety of ways."

Download from (and more information via) the Zotero website: http://www.zotero.org/

Step-by-step instructions on getting started with Zotero: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/help/techguides/zotero.pdf

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 3 February 2010