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Communication in Media Organizations: MSP 4696

Research help for the course, MSP 4696: Communication in Media Organizations.

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 Scholarly Articles

Videos on Types of Sources

Source Types

What Types of Sources Do I Need?

The Information Life Cycle

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 Example of 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).