Subject Guides: Media Panics : Home

Finding Scholarly Books

Encompass Search (Advanced Search)
Encompass Search finds information by searching through a massive collection of books, as well as scholarly journals, newspapers and magazines, dissertations, conference proceedings, music, video, maps, and more.
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TO FIND ONLY BOOKS, use the Books limit on the left sidebar of your search results page. Many items will be in Trexler Library; note the call number and status of the item to check its location and availability. For items not in Trexler Library, use the Interlibrary Loan button to request a copy from another library.
Google Books
Search a broad selection of books. Access full text of books directly or get a preview before requesting the book from another library using Interlibrary Loan via Encompass Search.

Finding Scholarly Journal Articles

Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Premier database of scholarly and trade journals and books in media and communication and related areas. Some full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise, use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new window
A database of scholarly journals, trade journals, books, and more in the areas of television and film. Most full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The definitive database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1964 to present, this database is without question the most important bibliographic reference tool for students and scholars of U.S. and Canadian history.
Full text journals include American Historical Review, American 19th Century History, American Studies, Early American Studies, Journal of American Culture, Journal of American History, Journal of Early American History, and Journal of Military History.

Finding Popular (News and Magazine) Articles

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A database of both scholarly and popular publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas. TO LIMIT TO POPULAR SOURCES, choose NEWSPAPERS and/or MAGAZINES on the left sidebar of a search results page under source types. Most full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise use the Get It links to check for full text online or in the library. Generally covers 1980s to present.

How do I get the full text of my article?

To get the full text of an article, consider the following options:

- If you are in Encompass Search or a library database, look for "Check for Full Text buttons," "Access Online," or "Check eResources" buttons. These buttons will take you the full text of the article or tell you that the full text cannot be found. If the full text is not available from Trexler Library, look for buttons to request the item from another library via interlibrary loan. Or go directly to the interlibrary loan request forms.

- If you have citation information for the article (i.e., journal title, article title, publication year, etc.), type the information about your article in Encompass Search on the library website. If the library subscribes to the full text, you will be directed to the article (see first bullet above). If not, you can request a copy of the article via interlibrary loan.

- If Trexler Library does not have access to the full text of the article, search Google Scholar by article title to see if the author has made a copy freely available online. If not, you can request a copy of the article via interlibrary loan.

Citing Your Sources

APA, Chicago, and MLA Styles

Citation Guides (Muhlenberg College)
Examples of APA, Chicago, and MLA Styles

Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue University)
APA Style
Chicago Style
MLA Style

Avoiding Plagiarism

Indiana University's plagiarism tutorial also offers helpful information on understanding and recognizing plagiarism, including an overview with basics and recommendations and examples.