Media as a scholarly source of information : citations for legal theses and dissertations

Abstract

This study sought to determine the citation of media sources by law students in South Africa. Data were gathered from theses and dissertations of selected law schools in the country using specifically designed excel spreadsheets comprising columns for citations and sources, among others. The results, in relation to the research questions of the study, indicate that the media, as a source of information, was the least cited while other secondary sources of information, such as journal articles and books, were among the most cited sources. Regarding media use, the results show that newspapers had a high citation rate, followed by television and radio, with magazines coming last. The study findings also indicate that two African economic giants, namely South Africa, and Nigeria, were among the main origins of the media cited, alongside the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The results further indicate that the Mail and Guardian, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the Economist magazine were the most cited forms of media. The findings also indicate a positive but weak relationship between the scholarly (citation) and public impact (circulation) of media sources. At the end, it was recommended that studies of media citations in other disciplines, as well as new media, be conducted to further inform both practice and theory regarding the scholarship of media.