Subject Guides: Race & Representation: Home

What is a Literature Review?

See your course syllabus for information on writing a literature review.

You may also consult:

How to Write a Literature Review (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Finding Background Information: Selected Reference Sources

COMMUNICATION / MEDIA STUDIES REFERENCE

Encyclopedia of Communcation by Jorge Reina Schement
Call Number: 302.203 E56o v.1-3
ISBN: 0028658876
Publication Date: 2003-12-01
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications by Donald H. Johnston (Editor)
Call Number: 302.2303 E56o
ISBN: 9780123876706
Publication Date: 2003-05-17
Encyclopedia of Media and Politics by Todd M. Schaefer (Editor); Thomas Birkland (Editor)
Call Number: 302.230973 E56o
ISBN: 9781568028354
Publication Date: 2006-10-27
Encyclopedia of Television by Horace Newcomb; Museum of Broadcast Communications Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: 384.5503 E56o
ISBN: 9781579584566
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
The International Encyclopedia of Communication by Wolfgang Donsbach (Editor)
Call Number: 302.203 I56e
ISBN: 9781405131995
Publication Date: 2008-04-28

RACE REFERENCE

A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies by David Theo Goldberg; John Solomos
ISBN: 9780585467320
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America by Judy Galens (Editor); Robyn V. Young (Editor)
Call Number: 305.800973 V413g
ISBN: 0810391635
Publication Date: 1995-09-01
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups by Stephan Thernstrom; Ann Orlov (Editor); Oscar Handlin (Editor)
Call Number: 973.04 H339
ISBN: 0674375122
Publication Date: 1980-10-10
Race Relations in America by Thomas J. Davis
Call Number: 305.800973 D264r
ISBN: 0313311153
Publication Date: 2006-03-30
Racial and Ethnic Relations in America by S. Dale McLemore
Call Number: 323.1 M164r
ISBN: 0205068278
Publication Date: 1980-01-01

EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE WORKS ON SPECIFIC GROUPS

Asian American Almanac by Susan B. Gall (Editor); Irene Natividad (Editor)
Call Number: 973.0495 G162a
ISBN: 0810391937
Publication Date: 1995-05-01
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History
Call Number: 973.0496073 E56o
ISBN: 0028658167
Publication Date: 2005-12-16
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States by Suzanne Oboler (Editor); Deena J. González (Editor)
Call Number: 973.0468 O98e
ISBN: 9780195156003
Publication Date: 2005-08-25
Jewish-American History and Culture by FISCHEL
Call Number: 973.04924 F529j
ISBN: 9780824066222
Publication Date: 1992-01-01

Finding Books

Encompass Search finds information by searching through a massive collection of books, scholarly journals, newspapers and magazines, dissertations, conference proceedings, music, video, maps, and more.

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 to request a copy from another library.

Finding Articles: Databases & Indexes

SUBJECT SPECIFIC DATABASES: COMMUNICATION / MEDIA STUDIES

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.
Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new window
A database of scholarly journals published by Sage, providing wide coverage in all disciplines, but particularly the social sciences. Full text for articles published 1999 to the present is linked directly in the database; otherwise, search the library catalog by journal titles to check for full text online or in the library.

SUBJECT SPECIFIC DATABASES: OTHER AREAS

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Premier scholarly index, with numerous links to full text, to criticism in the areas of literature, language, linguistics, film studies, and folklore, published from 1920-present.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Citations to scholarly journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations and more in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
PAIS Index is an index of scholarship and research in public affairs, public and social policies, and international relations. It contains citations from scholarly journal articles, books, book chapters, policy briefs, government publications, and more from on domestic and international political, economic, social and public policy issues. Use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
PAIS Index combines two databases, PAIS International and PAIS Archive. PAIS International is the electronic version and continuation of the print publications PAIS Bulletin, PAIS Foreign Language Index, and their predecessor titles. PAIS Archive is the electronic version of the print publication PAIS Annual Cumulated Bulletin and its predecessor titles. By combining these two databases, PAIS Index contains all PAIS indexing from 1915 - present.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
Over 500 full text journals covering most medical disciplines. Also includes full text in the areas of healthcare economics and management.

INTERDISCIPLINARY DATABASES

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, including psychology. 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.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A substantive archive of about 3,000 full text scholarly journals plus scholarly books in the arts, humanities, social sciences and biological sciences. As an archive, there is typically a lag time of 3-5 years from publication until new issues appear in JSTOR. Journals include core titles from a variety of disciplines: history, economics, biology, and more.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
A full-text database with journal articles and ebooks in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

NEWSPAPER DATABASES

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
"...a digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century."

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

For information on why to cite your sources and how to avoid plagiarism, see the Get Started with Library Research: Cite Sources guide.

For information on APA Style, see the APA Citation Guide
Zotero
"Free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources." Download instructions and help available on the site.