Need help finding scholarly sources for a comparison/contrast paper.
I would like to do a comparison/contrast paper on how hollywood takes notable sci-fi novels or any novels really, and just turns them into a cashcrop instead of actually following the plot of the story. My example I would like to use to show that Hollywood has done this is “I am Legend” starring Will Smith.
I need to maybe find some reputable sources about how Hollywood does just this and maybe some articles or essays concerning this movie in particular, etc. Any help would be appreciated. I can’t use regular google or internet sources, only peer reviewed scholarly type stuff. Thanks.
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scholar.google.com is a good place to start. It’s run by google, but the only results it gives you are peer-reviewed papers from reputable scholarly journals.
After you poke around on there for a bit, talk to your school librarian. You may think librarians are out-dated, but most of them have extensive training with online media, etc. If your school doesn’t have a good librarian to talk to, go to a major public library, or the library at a local university.
I think my major problem is finding the right keywords to search to get back relevant results. So far I’ve just been throwing into boolean searches “I am legend” AND “Hollywood”. Nothing is really returning back viable information. =/
The ALA has detailed guides to doing just this sort of research. I would try much different search-terms: “screenplay and novel” is one example.
Do you have access to your school or public library’s databases? I would try a database like Academic Search Premier or Academic ASAP. Try “I am Legend” and “movie reviews” to read reviews that may discuss the book to film issue, “science fiction novels” and “films”, and/or “science fiction film adaptations.” The subject doesn’t necessarily lend itself to peer-reviewed journal type articles but you should be able to find some good solid magazine articles to use. Good luck!
P.S. @hannahsugs Librarians are dated frequently.
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