Media Studies

Photo: Herman B Wells Library. IU Libraries Website. The Wells Library is home to the Black Film Center & Archives, University Archives, Moving Image Archive, and more.

Explore Physical Collections

You can browse many of the collections held by IU's libraries. Exploring collections in-person is a great way to find books on your topic (which are often shelved near each other), preview materials, and discover titles you may have missed while searching online. Additionally, IU is home to many world-famous archives and book repositories. Reach out to the librarians and archivists at specific repositories to get assistance with your research and/or set up a visit. Below you will find information about physical collections and archives at Indiana University, Bloomington:

Archives Online

Many of IU's archival holdings are searchable through Archives Online. Collections include records from Indiana University repositories. You can search across all collections or search within an individual collection. Once you select a collection to view, click "Entire Document" on the left of the screen to view the entire inventory of the collection. 

A "Finding Aid" assists you in locating something in a collection. The "Title" of the collection and the "Collection No."are listed in the first portion of the finding aid. The "Collection No." is the identification marker that allows you to request a collection, along with the specific box numbers. Make sure to use finding aids to help you locate which boxes have materials of interest, often you are not able to request access to an entire collection. 

For assistance using Archives Online, check out these videos:

• Archives Online- Using Search Options  (Indiana University)
• Archives Online- Parts of A Finding Aid (Indiana University)

Grey Literature & Ephemeral and Pre-Publication Sources

Sometimes, scholarship does not go on to become a scholarly text in the form of an article or book. Consider consulting alternative academic sources, such as conference proceedings, seminars, abstracts, and theses and dissertations, which will allow you to find not only relevant scholarly work within the field, but in many cases will be more current than traditionally published sources. Keep in mind that these sources often do not undergo the same level of review as peer-reviewed work.

Explore the Grey Literature section of IU's Systematic Reviews & Evidence Based Reviews Guide to learn more about these sources.

Conference proceedings

Conference proceedings are compilations of papers, research, and information presented at conferences. Proceedings are sometimes peer-reviewed and are often the first publication of research that later appears in a scholarly publication. Proceedings are more commonly encountered (via databases and other searching) in science and engineering fields than in the arts and humanities.  

• When using OneSearch@IU, you can filter results by selecting "Conference Materials" underneath format. Many databases contain a conference proceedings/materials filter.

Government Documents

The Government Printing Office disseminates information issued by all three branches of the government to federal depository libraries (including IU Libraries). Additionally, government departments publish reports, data, statistics, white papers, consumer information, transcripts of hearings, and more. Some information published by government offices is technical and scientific.

• To learn more about and access these materials, check out the Government Information guide or contact our Government Information, Maps, and Microform Services department.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses and dissertations are the result of an individual student's research while in a graduate program. They are written under the guidance and review of an academic committee but are not considered "peer-reviewed" publications.  

• When searching OneSearch@IU, you can filter results by selecting "Dissertations/Theses" under format. 
• Explore the Finding Dissertations and Theses Guide to learn more.
• IUScholarWorks is a repository where anyone affiliated with IU can share their research openly so that it is available for anyone in the world to read. It’s important to remember that this includes graduate students! Graduate students can share papers, data, posters, and even their dissertation in IUScholarWorks.

Websites and Non-Academic Sources

You won't always want, need, or be required to exclusively rely on academic sources in your research. In these cases, it is important to understand their provenance and scope and carefully evaluate them before usage. For more on source evaluation, use the navigation menu to the left.

• Websites are constantly changing, and there are also times when they are removed for a variety of reasons. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is the largest archive of websites available online, dating back as far as 1996. Pages in the Wayback Machine archive are captured repeatedly over time, and many pages are available in hundreds or thousands of versions, with each version corresponding to the content of the page on different dates. You can also use this service to create snapshots on-demand, by entering a website into the "Save Page Now" address bar near the bottom of the page.
• If you are having trouble accessing a website, enter its address into ClickMinded’s Google cache search. This tool will show you the snapshot of the page Google took when it last crawled the page, which can complement the archived versions available through the Wayback Machine.

If at first you don't succeed, keep trying. It's important to experiment with different approaches, keywords, and databases as you move through the research process. Here, we offer some tips for reassessing and restructuring your search.

Too few results?

If you find that you are not finding as many results as you'd expect, or perhaps don't see any relevant resources, you can

1. Consider your choice of search terms
Choosing the right search terms is key. Experiment with related terms.

• In databases Subject Terms can help you identify keywords.
• Use OR to search for multiple related terms simultaneously. (e.g., anticolonial OR decolonial)

2. Try using fewer search terms
Database can be picky about search terms. Be selective. Begin with one of two search terms that best represent your topic. Then add other terms as needed. Avoid long phrases and empty words like “the” and “how.”

3. Remove some of your limiters and facets
If you limited the search (e.g., by date or search field) remove limiters and reassess.

4. Narrow your topic
Highly specific topics may be too narrow for finding results. Try a broader related topic first. 

Examples: 

• Narrow search: Indiana University AND repatriation
• Broader search: United States AND state government AND NAGPRA

5. Consider database choice
Different databases focus on different topics. Review our lists of recommended resources in the navigation bar to the left, or view all of our Resources by Subject. Anytime you need help or have hit a dead-end, you can also reach out to Ask a Librarian.

Too many results?

If your searches are just recalling too many results for you to consider or work with, you can

1. Add additional keywords. 
In databases, search terms can help you identify more narrow topics and keywords.

2. Choose more narrow search terms.

   Examples:

• Broader term: feminism
• Narrower term: "Chicana feminism"

3. Use limiters. (e.g., search fields like title or abstract, publication date, format type).
Nearly all of our databases allow you to include multiple search fields. In OneSearch see options under Refine Search.

4. Search for a short phrase with quotation marks. 
Placing phrases inside quotation marks will ensure that you are returning results that include that exact phrase, as opposed to the individual words within a phrase.

   Examples: 

• "media literacy"
• "digital blackface"

Truncation Searching 

Truncation lets you search for words that might have more than one ending. This is also known as word stemming. Use an asterisk (*) to perform this type of search: 

• music* will return results including music/musical/musician/musicians/musicality
• Africa* will return results including Africa, African, Africans, Africana

Note that IUCAT truncates automatically, but you can use truncation in other databases.

Wildcard Searching

Wildcard searching cycles through every letter to fill a spot. For example, use a question mark to perform this type of search:

• wom?n will return women, woman, etc.

The most commonly used single wildcard symbol is the question mark, but some exceptions include:

• LexisNexis Academic uses an asterisk (*)
• Some databases use the pound (#) symbol

Check the documentation for any given database to see which characters they use for wildcard searching, and always feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Note that IUCAT does not support wildcards in searches, but many of our other databases do.

Adapted from: Meredith Knoff, Indiana University Libraries and National University and Library, "Truncation and Wildcard Searching." 

Finding Sources from Other Sources

If you are having trouble finding multiple resources that meet your search criteria or research needs, you can still expand your sources even with just one source! Once you've found a relevant source, try looking at the authors and publications cited in its References, Works Cited, or Bibliography and follow these to other sources. Additionally, using Google Scholar or other databases, you can see who has cited the resource (and how many times it had been cited), which can help you identify additional publications.

Ephemeral, Pre-Publication, and Non-Academic Sources

Sometimes, scholarship does not go on to become a scholarly text (such as an article or book). Consider consulting alternative academic sources, such as conference proceedings, seminars, abstracts, and theses and dissertations, which will allow you to find not only relevant scholarly work within the field that may align with your own research, but also will in many cases be more current than traditionally published sources. Keep in mind that these sources often do not undergo the same level of review as peer-reviewed work.

What are secondary sources?

Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They were produced sometime after an event happened by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in said event. Secondary sources contain information that has been interpreted, analyzed or processed. Examples of secondary sources include:

• History textbooks
• Interpretive journal articles
• Book reviews/literary criticism
• Biographies 

Classifying something as a primary or secondary source often depends upon the topic and its use. A Gender Studies textbook, for example, would be considered a secondary source in the field of Gender Studies, since it describes and interprets the field but makes no original contribution to it. On the other hand, if the topic you are researching is the history of the Gender Studies discipline or the history of textbooks, this book could be used as a primary source to analyze how these fields have changed over time.

Adapted from: UMass Boston Healey Library, Primary Sources: A Research Guide (2023).

What are tertiary sources?

Tertiary sources index, abstract, organize, compile, and/or digest other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author and they do not provide original interpretations or analysis. The following sources can be considered tertiary: 

• Dictionaries
• Encyclopedias
• Databases
• Bibliographies

Adapted from: University of Minnesota Crookston Libraries, Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources.

How can I search for primary and secondary sources?

Many databases will primarily contain secondary sources in the form of scholarly articles, books, textbooks, and book reviews. When looking for primary sources, you can explore IU's archives (mentioned above) or databases and guides including:

• Major U.S. Newspapers: Resource Guide
• ARTStor: As an IU student you have access to over 2.5 million digital images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences.
• Gale Primary Sources: Provides an interactive research environment that allows researchers to cross-search Gale digital archives.
• Jewish Studies Primary Source Collections: Indiana University has an extensive Jewish Studies collection held within various different branches and archives at Indiana University. This guide serves as an introduction to accessing these materials. 
• LGBTQ+ primary sources in University collections: A guide created to help users discover and access archives and special collections relating to the LGBTQ+ experience in Indiana University collections.
• Finding Book Reviews guide from IU Libraries.

Try the following keywords related to primary and secondary sources to assist you in your database searches:

• archives
• anecdotes
• biography
• case studies
• catalogs
• comic books/cartoons/caricatures
• correspondence/letters/diaries
• exhibitions
• interviews/speeches
• manuscripts
• maps
• photography/portraits
• sketchbooks
• songs/music
• statistics/data

Below is a table depicting examples of searches that can help you locate a specific type of source. Use search terms for names, events, topics, or document types:

“Marginalized knowledge” refers to bodies of knowledge that have been devalued, ignored, fragmented, suppressed, appropriated, commodified, or disrespected, directly or indirectly by a dominant culture or institution. (Larson & Vaughan, 2019)

Diversity of Source Types

If you would like to expand beyond academic sources and be more inclusive in your process, it can be helpful to consider a variety of sources and source types when you are doing research for your project, to the extent that you can and depending on the requirements of your scholarship or assignment. While it's important to follow the guidelines provided by your professor or the standards of your field or publication, if you have more leeway or are working on an assignment without specific requirements, you might consider sources outside of those you're familiar with or have relied on in the past. By including other kinds of sources, such as those written by people outside of universities—including those who have been systematically excluded from academia or have community knowledge and lived experiences that aren't valued by these institutions—your research will be stronger, more inclusive, and reflect a more holistic understanding of the topic.

In the next section of this guide, we will discuss what it means for a paper to be peer-reviewed. While it is frequently assumed that peer review is a bias-free process of evaluation that produces objective scholarship on a given topic, it would be impossible for a paper to be completely free of bias. Bias can manifest in who is selected to peer review, as well as what (and who) is and is not cited or included in research. Peer review privileges those with institutional and educational access, as does much academic scholarship. This is not to say that peer-reviewed articles are not useful; they definitely have their place in your process and project. However, it is important to remember that this type of source is only one among many, and that other sources may contain relevant information and be useful for your research.

Below are six types of sources that you can look to and include in your research process:

1. Academic Sources: Scholarly resources including journal articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, and theses.
2. News Media: Local and national news outlets, broadcast news, school/university newspapers, news podcasts, etc.
3. Government Data & Information: Resources from local, state, national, or international governments.
4. Organization & Public Sector Reports: Reports produced by corporate entities (non-profits, institutions, consulting firms, etc.).
5. Community Voices: Any sources by members of the community affect by the topic of interest. Often includes first-hand accounts.
6. Stakeholders & Allies: Sources from activist groups, organizations, or other communities affected or connected to the topic. 

Image: Infographic of source types. Adapted from Aneta Kwak, Jeff Newman, Mikayla Redden (see full citation below).

Ultimately, using a wider range of source types can help you in:

• finding a wider range and diversity of source types and
• structuring your search process in a way that facilitates more inclusive research and engagement with voices outside of the mainstream

For a more interactive process, use this "Finding Diverse Sources Handout & Activity" to brainstorm ways to find diverse sources about your topic

Citations

• Aneta Kwak, Jeff Newman, Mikayla Redden (DG Ivey Library, New College, University of Toronto). "Exploring Non-Dominant Voices: Information Literacy Beyond the Peer Review Paradigm." Presented at ACRL 2023.
• Larson, C., & Vaughan, M. (2022). Teaching Ways of Knowing: The Challenges of Marginalized Knowledge to Understandings of Authority and Authorship. LOEX Conference Proceedings 2019. https://commons.emich.edu/loexconf2019/29.

Introduction to Author Diversity

In addition to considering multiple source types, you can also be more inclusive in finding sources by considering the identity and positionality of the author(s). Utilizing research and scholarship from a diverse group of authors also improves the quality of your research.

One key component of this, and an important consideration in your research more generally, is to include the voices of people and communities whom your paper addresses. For example, if you are talking about Indigenous philosophy, your paper will benefit greatly from incorporating the voices of Indigenous scholars, thinkers, and community members. If you are writing about Asian American media, you should include Asian American voices and experiences in your citations. When possible, always consider voices that are a part of the communities you research, which will make your work more relevant, inclusive, and ethical. 

For more examples of diverse sources and where/how to find them, see our feature on Citational Justice. For a few examples of the types of resources you'll find there, try the following links:

• NPR Diverse Sources Database  Find experts from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the media. 
• Finding Experts Guide  (CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism)

The Gray Test

You can also use an assessment tool like the Gray Test. We talk more about this strategy in our Citational Justice section, but it can also be used preemptively in your own search process to to consider how diverse you want your list of sources to be and to ensure that you are including more representative and inclusive sources in your research.

"The Gray Test" was developed by Dr. Wendy Belcher, a professor of African literature at Princeton University, who was inspired by Dr. Kishonna Grays blog post and associated hashtag on Twitter, "#CiteHerWork: Marginalizing Women in Academic and Journalistic Writing." This rubric can be used to assess scholarship by the number and usage of citations by women and non-white individuals. As she described it on Twitter, in order to pass the test “a journal article must not only cite the scholarship of at least two women and two non-white people, but must discuss it in the body of the text.”

You can use the Gray Test to assess the inclusivity of scholarship by others or as a way to reflect on your own work and citational practices. To use this test as a way to incorporate more diverse sources in your search process and research, consider the following questions and either 1) how you would answer them about your own current list of sources and citations, or 2) how you might use them as a guide when you are looking for new sources to include in your project or scholarship:

• Does the article cite the scholarship of at least two women?
• Does the article cite the work of two scholars of color?
• Does the article actually engage with and discuss the work of these scholars, whether in the text or within foot/end notes (and not only as a parenthetical citation)?

To pass the Gray Test, a work must meet all three of these criteria. While there are a number of ways to consider and assess the value and inclusivity of scholarship and citational practices, and there are many marginalized identities that it does not include, this test can be one tool you use to reflect on your and others' commitment to citational justice.

Image: The Gray Test. Laurier Course Guides: Tween Literature and Culture.

To learn more about the Gray Test, visit our local page with more information or read the following article from Women in Higher Education (WIHE): "Researching Gaming and Showing Why Citations Matter."