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Media Industries and Trends: Finding Scholarly Academic Journal Articles

Searching for Academic (Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed) Articles

START with Communications & Mass Media Complete

ALWAYS limit to Peer-Reviewed and Academic Journals and English

If not finding appropriate articles, try Sage Journals Online

***DATABASES FOR LOCATING ACADEMIC PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS***

What is the Database Name?

t is the name of the database? 
Usually it is at the top of the search page but sometimes the identification/branding can be confusing.  The database names are highlighted below; please remember that EBSCOhost is not a database name. 

 

Article Examples - Where is the Journal Title?

There have been questions about identifying the journal title so listed below are two screen shots highlighting the locations on the different screens.

  1. After entering search terms, the article results are listed.  The journal title (highlighted) follows the authors' names.  Here the journal title is Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.

 

      2.  When you click on the article title (above in blue) to read the abstract, the journal title is noted as the Source.

Academic Article Format - Hints for Identifying an Academic Article

A common format for an academic study includes:

  • an introduction
  • a literature review that summarizes early research and existing theory
  • a description of methodology or the steps taken to carry out the study
  • a findings/discussion section 
  • and a conclusion

Many journals also publish book reviews, which are not peer-reviewed and are not acceptable for this
assignment.

From the COM 120 Syllabus

Remember: there will be a list of references at the end of the article. 

Example of an Academic Article

Inspirational Reality TV: The Prosocial Effects of Lifestyle Transforming Reality Programs on Elevation and Altruism.

 

MLA Citation Format:

Tsay-Vogel, Mina and K. Maja Krakowiak. "Inspirational Reality TV: The Prosocial Effects of Lifestyle
            Transforming Reality Programs on Elevation and Altruism." Journal of Broadcasting &
            Electronic Media, vol. 60, no. 4, Dec. 2016, pp. 567-586. Communication & Mass Media
            Complete,  doi:10.1080/08838151.2016.1234474.


Check the MLA Research Guide page for citing scholarly academic journal articles.