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Mass Media & Culture

This webpage provides resources to help you find information for your short paper: News Media, Violence and Cultural Identities.

Most of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock UW Restricted. To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access button in the upper-right hand corner and login with your UWnetid. It may be easier to install the proxy bookmarklet that will allow you to access UW Restricted materials with one click.

Have questions or need research help? Please contact Jessica Albano, the communication studies librarian, via email at jalbano@u.washington.edu


Start Here to Find Academic/Scholarly Articles

article    

Academic articles, those published in scholarly journals, are the bedrock of most academic disciplines. In the field of historical research, they are considered secondary sources. They provide an indepth analysis of narrow topics. Prior to publishing, articles are vetted through a process called peer-review.

Most academic articles and books include footnotes or a bibliography which can lead you to primary sources (and additional secondary sources) on a topic.

To find the actual article (either in paper or online), use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases. This will connect you to the UW Libraries Catalog to see if we have the article that you need online or available in print on a shelf in the library.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

   

Start Here to Find News Sources that are Primary Sources

news     Newspapers are a primary source providing a first rough draft of events. Since most newspapers are local in scope, there is good coverage of local issues. Newspapers also provide a good feel (give context) for the time period.

Major metropolitan and city newspapers are usually published daily (however this is currently changing). Smaller newspapers such as alternative, ethnic, and neighborhood papers are published weekly or even monthly.

Most of the newspaper databases do not include all of the stories (no obituaries, tv times, etc.) or images that were published in the original printed newspaper. Usually you will need to browse through issues of a newspaper on microfilm to discover its complete content.

Newspapers can be found in the Microform & Newspaper Collections (McNews) on the ground floor of Suzzallo. The best way to check and see if we have a specific newspaper on microfilm is to use the card catalog located in McNews.

   

Start Here to Find Magazine Articles that are Primary Sources

Time magazine cover May 11, 1992     Magazines are similar to newspapers. Popular magazines (news, fashion, sports, etc) provide a good feel for the period. Since most newspapers are national in scope, there is limited coverage of local topics.

Most magazines are published weekly. Depending on a magazine's publishing schedule, you may not find articles about your topic until a week or two after the event.

   
  • UW Restricted Academic Search Complete

  • Selected list of Magazines
    • Economist [London]
      Suzzallo Periodicals HG11 .E2
      MicNews A9698
    • Newsweek
      Suzzallo Periodicals AP2 .N6772
      MicNews A6719
    • Time
      Suzzallo Periodicals AP2 .T37
      MicNews A6717
    • U.S. News & World Report
      Suzzallo Periodicals JK1 .U65
      MicNews A6718


The Photographs at the top of this webpage were found in the UW Restricted AP Images and UW Restricted ARTstor collections.

Created by: Jessica Albano
Last modified: Monday May 18, 2009 (jalbano)