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FAMST 101F: Trade Lit & Magazines

About

Trade magazines and other industry literature are key primary sources for the study of film, television, and media history.

These sources are good places to start for many research topics including finding film reviews, ratings and box office data, advertisements, and information about media production and distribution.

Trade magazines are written by industry representatives, and it's not uncommon that an author is not named.  Articles are written to share industry information including trends, products, and techniques.  Articles in these publications are written for people within the industry using technical language or jargon. References are provided via contextual referrals to other works, and the publications are reviewed by one or more editors employed by the publication. 

Popular magazines are written by journalists, or a writer whose specialty is writing, not necessarily in the field that they are reporting. Articles are aimed at a general audience and written without using technical terms, or will define technical terms if used. The articles are reviewed by editors employed by the magazine, and referrals to other works rely on contextual information in the text. 

Highlighted Resources

Tip: Start by finding Article Indexes and Research Databases by Subject.

Tip: Search for journals and magazines by category including "Music, Dance, Drama & Film."

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