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Media & Children: MSP 1251 / 4497 / 8441

Research help for the courses, MSP 1251: The Children's Media Industry and MSP 4497 / 8441: Media & Children

Videos on Search Strategies

Choosing Keywords

Putting Together Your Search Terms

Narrowing or Broadening Your Search

Why Use Scholarly Sources?

an open booka scholarly article

Question: What value lies in using scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles or books published by university presses?  Why, for example, would a researcher choose a scholarly source over a news story or blog post?

Answer: Scholarly sources have a different level of authority and credibility because they have been approved by a group with recognized expertise in the field under discussion. That approval process includes many steps for verifying facts, reducing bias, and for identifying conflicts of interest. To help aid that process, authors organize and structure their scholarly work differently in order to document evidence that either supports or negates claims and conclusions.

Use the Library Search

Library Search is your gateway to discover books, journal articles, and much more at Temple University Libraries. Additional information can be found in our Library Search FAQ's.

Find Articles in Subject-focused Databases

Search Tips

Not sure what keywords to use? Try some of the following suggestions:

  • Variations of the word "media"
    (e.g. mass media, online media, advertising, marketing, journalism, broadcasting, etc.)
  • The medium that interests you
    (e.g. television, magazines, social networks, video games, film, etc.)
  • The name of a brand, product, program, or company using or impacted by media
    (e.g. Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, Disney, YouTube, etc.)
  • The demographic or community that is impacted
    (e.g. children, tweens, teenagers, adolescents, youth, Latinos, African Americans, etc.)
  • The issue you want to explore
    (e.g. violence, development, race, education, gender, body image, identity, sex, advertising, etc.)

How to Determine if the Article is Relevant

When choosing scholarly articles, consider some of the following:

  • Read the abstract, if it has one
  • Skim the introduction and conclusion, or if they are not marked off by headings, skim the first six or seven paragraphs and the last four or five
  • Skim for section headings, and read the first and last paragraph of those sections
  • Check the bibliography for titles relevant to your topic

Find the Full-Text

Can't Locate Your Article Online?

  • Use the Available online icon link found in the Library Search or the Example of Find Full Text iconbutton available from most other databases to locate the entire article online.
  • If your article is not available in print or via another research database, request it via ILLiad (interlibrary loan).