Journalism 101

University of Nevada, Reno

Donica Mensing

 

Assignment #2: Write a literature review

The main objective of a literature search is to find out what other researchers have discovered about your research topic. Your assignment is to find five articles, books or Web resources related to your research topic AND to summarize the main points of your sources. You can use:

• Books
  
• Articles from peer-reviewed journals and from professional trade publications
  
• Internet resources (you must document how you evaluated the site when including it in your list of references.)

If you're unsure about how to locate books or articles using NEON, take the online tutorial provided by the library: How to Use the Library

The assignment is due October 7, 1999.

Steps you should take

1. Search for books using the subject search function: Searching Wolfpac

2. Search for articles using the databases listed under Journalism Resources

• The Expanded Academic Index is a good place to begin your search for articles. Try using both the keyword search and the subject search to find relevant information.
  
  
• Lexis Nexis is an outstanding resource for full-text newspapers, magazines and transcripts.
  
  
• Be systematic. Keep track of where you have looked, what words you used for searching and your results. When you find an article or book that is directly related to your subject, look at the reference to see what topics you should be using to find similar materials, and look at the bibliography to find related works.
  
  

3. Search online

• First, you need to know how to look for information on the Web. This resource, Search Engine Stategy and Syntax, provides an excellent introduction to finding information online.
  
  
• Second, once you've found a Web page that relates to your topic, you need to evaluate its credibility. This site is an excellent resource for learning how to evaluate information on the Web: Evaluating Web Resources. If you do include a Web site reference in your literature search, you need to identify the criteria you used to confirm that it is a credible site.
  
  
• The UNR Library also has a good page on using search engines and evaluating the credibility of Web sources: Searching the World Wide Web.
  
  
• There are many great lists of journalism related Web sites. Here are a few: PowerReporting , WWW Virtual Library, Yahoo Directory on News and Media, The Poynter Institute and American Journalism Review.

4. Write up your search.

The assignment is due Thursday, Oct. 7. In your write-up, identify your sources using a complete citation. I don't care whether you use APA, MLA or any other recognized source -- as long as you are consistent and complete. For directions on how to use one of these styles, see Style Guides for Reference Papers.

Along with the complete citation, you must include a description of the reference, identifying key points of the article or book that relate to your subject. If you do not have this description, you will not receive credit for the assignment.

 

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