Journal Article Analysis
The purpose of this assignment is to become familiar with mass communication issues that concern researchers today. Remember that these are issues are embedded in social concerns;
therefore they are problems you should be aware of as well.
Directions:
1. Find a research article from a scholarly journal that addresses a mass communication issue. Choose a subject that interests you. To get you started, there are several journals you can access
to find mass communication articles, all of which are accessible though Drexel Library:
a. Journal of Communication
b. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
c. Critical Studies in Media Communication
d. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
e. Communication Research
2. Once you choose an article, summarize it. Be sure to include the research questions, the major theories that frame the questions, how the researchers answer the questions (methods), and
what are the results/conclusions.
3. Finally, you will evaluate the article. Feel free to criticize, but back up your criticisms too. Use the following questions to guide your evaluation:
a. Are the topics addressed in the article important social issues? Why or why not?
b. Do the research questions appropriately address the problem/issue? If not, what would make a better question?
c. Are the methods appropriate for these types of questions?
d. What, if anything, would you do differently if you conducted the study?
Formatting:
? Paper length: 3 to 4 pages, not including cover page or works cited page
? MLA or APA formatting for citations. This includes in-text citations and a works cited page. You will likely have only two citations (the journal article and the textbook), but you are free to use
other material if you feel it augments your analysis.
? 1 inch margins, Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced
The selected Journal Article is:
Contesting the Mark of Criminality:
Race, Place, and the Prerogative of
Violence in N.W.A.?s Straight Outta
Compton
Bryan J. McCann





