Violence in the Media

Introduction

Do violent movies, television shows, or video games promote aggression among young people? Psychologists, sociologists, and parents have all struggled with this question, with no resolution in sight. This guide is intended to assist students researching the effects of violence as depicted in various media.

This Web page is intended as a guide to:

• Finding books & videos
  
• Finding magazine & journal articles
  
• Finding Web sites
  • Suggested Web Sites
    
  • Other Guides & Resources
    
• Citing information in a paper

Finding books & videos

The Library's online catalog lists books, videos, magazines, journals, and other items available at the SFCC or SCC. You can search by author, title, or subject. The keyword option is particularly useful if you aren't sure of a title or the exact Library of Congress subject heading.

Potentially useful headings include:

Mass media--Psychological aspects
Mass media Social aspects

Television and children

Violence in mass media
Violence in motion pictures
Violence in popular culture
Violence on television

If the book you want is only available at SCC's library, you can request it. Courier service between campuses is fast and efficient for items that aren't already checked out. Items requested from SCC can generally be delivered to the SFCC circulation desk overnight (except on Fridays, with delivery on Monday).

Reference sources

Also consider general reference works, the most current of which are usually located in the Reference stacks on the first floor of the Library. While these items are generally unavailable to be checked out, you are welcome to photocopy from them. You may also wish to browse similar call numbers in the second floor stacks to find sources which can be checked out.

Finding Magazine and Journal Articles

Daily newspapers aren't usually scholarly resources, but they can be valuable for documenting local stories and the local effects of national or international events. The SFCC Library subscribes to a variety of newspapers. Paper copies are only kept for one to two months, but older articles can sometimes be found online through services such as ProQuest Direct (see below). Newspapers on microfilm are kept behind the Reference Desk.

To find articles in magazines and scholarly research journals, you can browse current and back issues. However, it is more efficient to use an index. We recommend

ProQuest Direct
http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp

This is our best general purpose index for a broad range of articles from 1980-present; the full text of some articles is provided online. This index is available from any campus computer; students who have Internet access from home can use this index with a current student ID number. See below for tips on searching ProQuest.

Electric Library
http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp

Electric Library is aimed at K-12 students, teachers, and parents. It provides full-text articles from magazines and newspapers, book excerpts, and transcripts of selected television broadcasts. Content is rated by "reading level."

A basic search in ProQuest searches article titles, subject headings, and article descriptions for the key words you enter. You almost always get decent results as long as you don't enter too many key words. You can search more precisely, however, using standardized subject or name headings. For example, try entering any of the following:

• ABS(violence) (finds articles with the word "violence" in the abstract, or article description)
• SUB(television) (finds articles with the ProQuest subject heading "television")
• GEO(United States) (finds articles concerning the U.S. as a geographical region)

Be careful with subject heading searches: don't stick just any words into such a search. Searching on

SUB[television violence]

To narrow your search, you can combine these. For example:

• ABS(violence) and SUB(television) and GEO(United States)

The most recent two or three issues of periodicals are kept on the open shelves next to the reference desk. Older issues are in storage; ask for them at the circulation desk.

Finding Web Sites

The World Wide Web is increasingly useful for scholarly research, as long as you use it with caution.

Try to identify stable, reputable sources. Start with ones we have already selected for you (listed below). If you want to search the Web yourself, here is an excellent site which recommends various search tools for different purposes:

Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

General information on search strategies is available at

"Why Can't I Find Anything I Want on the Internet?"

http://GeorgeSuttle.com/teaching/websearching/

Listed below are some sites that may be useful:

Suggested Web Sites

Some Things You Should Know About Media Violence and Media Literacy
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/childhealthmonth/media.htm

From the American Academy of Pediatrics

Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the American Family
http://www.babybag.com/articles/amaviol.htm

Brief "factoids" and statistics, with sources

Violence, Public Health, and the Media
http://www.annenberg.nwu.edu/pubs/violence/default.htm

An online essay, based on a conference convened by The Annenberg Washington Program and the Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health

The Lion & the Lamb Project
http://www.lionlamb.org/

"The mission of The Lion & Lamb Project is to stop the marketing of violence to children."

Two New Studies on Television Violence and Their Significance for the Kids' TV Debate
http://www.cep.org/tvviolence.html

From the Center for Educational Priorities

Other Guides and Resources

Google Issues: Media Violence & Abuse
http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Issues/Violence_and_Abuse/Media/

This is an extensive collection of links to web sites dealing with violence in the media; there is a subcategory on video games.

Yahoo: Video Game Violence
http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Games/Video_Games/Issues/Violence/

Selected links

Yahoo Issues: Violence
http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Issues_and_Causes/Violence/

A directory of sites; most useful for the cross-reference links at the top of the page, which lead to specialized subcategories such as School Violence, Workplace Violence, etc.

Google Issues: Violence and Abuse
http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Issues/Violence_and_Abuse/

A directory, with numerous subdivisions and cross-references, on various aspects of violence in modern society

How to cite sources in your paper

As with any other source you use, information found on Web sites must be cited and attributed. No one really agrees yet on the best method for citing electronic and Internet sources. The two most common citation styles--the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA)--have been modified and adapted to keep track of Internet sources:

MLA Style

Citing Sources

A collection of links, handouts, and class guides dealing with citing print and online sources in MLA style

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

A good general purpose handout from Purdue's Online Writing Center (OWL)

APA Style

Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the APA

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html