HUMA380: Becoming a Researcher

News sources provide information on a topic which is:

• written by journalists
• for a very general audience
• multi modal - can be a newspaper, website, blog, radio or TB broadcast, or other mode of delivery
• often specific to a geographic location or specific community
• time-specific, with little reflection on causes or previous events 
• mediated by implicit or explicit cultural, political or other belief systems, even as it attempts to be fair, unbaised and neutral
• selected by journalists and news agencies, who determine what is newsworthy in a particular place, time and media. 

Using news in scholarly papers depends on your context and goals, but can: 

• bring a story up to current day or include related recent events
• highlight stakeholders in an issue or topic
• provide a primary source, which may be an artifact of the time or provide quotes from direct participants
• provide opinion, if using editorials or letters to the editor
• provide an element of story, a specific example, or help humanize your topic by adding lived experience

Find and use newspapers!  Whether for current news or historical primary sources, newspapers are an incredible resource.    The guide is not exhaustive; there are other resources and approaches available.   Always keep in mind course requirements as set by your instructor.

Click on any of the tabs on the left to find what you need - directories to find the title you want, a list of available newspapers by geographic region, and a list of popular magazines available here. 

Need help?  Visit the librarians at the Library Help Desk via email, text, phone, or chat.  Or email Tina Bebbington, History Librarian.  

Don't see what you need?  You can request newspapers or news articles from Interlibrary Loans, or see what's available at Center for Research Libraries - we're a member, and can get Interlibrary loans from that organization. 

Here's a quick list of our most frequently used online newspapers: