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Communication                                          McFarlin Library

Communication Research

This is a selected guide to resources on Communication in the McFarlin Library collection. It is not a comprehensive list. It is intended to serve as a starting point for your research.

Approaches to Research

For information on how to do research in general, check Constructing a Research Paper.

Reference Materials

Reference sources, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are a good place to start when you need an overview of a subject or when you want a quick summary of basic ideas. They can also be used to  familiarize yourself with the vocabulary of the discipline. Encyclopedia articles are often followed by selected bibliographies or lists of references to other works. The following are available in print in McFarlin Library:

McFarlin Library also provides access to a variety of authoritative online reference materials:

Books

To find books located in McFarlin Library, use the library's online catalog.   In addition to books, the Library Catalog allows you to search for periodicals, government documents, audiovisual material, and Special Collections.

Call number classifications for Communication are:

Library materials for Communication are listed on the Library Catalog  under these suggested subject headings:

Broad Terms:

• Communication
• Journalism
• Popular Culture
• Telecommunication
• Mass Media

Narrow terms:

• Advertising
• Business communication
• Persuasion psychology
• Public Relations
• Reporters and Reporting
• Women in mass media

Check the Library of Congress Subject Headings for other more specific terms to search on the Library Catalog.

 Articles

Journal articles are important in your research. You should use periodical indexes to identify current journal and newspaper articles published in the professional and scholarly literature on topics relevant to your research project.  Indexes can be subject-specific for in-depth research or can be more general in nature.

Some indexes are in electronic format and others are in print format. All indexes provide a citation, many provide an abstract, and a few provide the full text of the article.  If the article is not available in full text, you must use the Library Catalog to find out if McFarlin Library subscribes to the journal that publishes the article you need.

To find out if McFarlin Library has a specific journal click on the Library Catalog on the Libraries' Home Page and choose Journal Title. Type the journal title in the Search for box. If McFarlin subscribes to the journal, note the location of the periodical.  

To find articles in the area of communication, search the following electronic indexes:

1. Academic Search Complete   FT  TU  E
   "Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals."  [More ...]
   
   
2. CIOS   TU
   "[P]rovides access to a variety of services, including use of a Journals Index to search indexes for 30 key communication serials …"  [More ...]
   
   
3. ComAbstracts   TU
   "ComAbstracts is [a] database of article abstracts, books, bibliographic records, and other sources of relevance to researchers, scholars, and students interested in fields related to human communication studies (mass communication, human interaction, rhetoric, health communication, communication and new media, journalism, communication history, etc.)."  [More ...]
   
   
4. Communication & Mass Media Complete   FT  TU  E
   "CMMC incorporates the content of CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association) and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Penn State) along with numerous other journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study to create a research and reference resource of unprecedented scope and depth encompassing the breadth of the communication discipline."  [More ...]
   
   
5. Communication Abstracts   TU  E
   Communication Abstracts is an index to major publications (including books, journal articles, and reports) related to communications studies.  [More ...]
   
   
6. JSTOR   FT  TU  E
   JSTOR provides image and full-text online access to back issues of selected scholarly journals in history, economics, political science, demography, mathematics and other fields of the humanities and social sciences.  [More ...]
   
   
7. Research Online Collection (Conference Board Reports)   FT  TU
   "The Conference Board is the world's most widely-quoted private source of management and economic intelligence."  [More ...]
   
   

 Internet Resources

An increasing amount of information of interest to communication researchers is available online.  Below is a list of links to several collections of communication-related links :

Communication Links from Yahoo

A comprehensive collection of pointers to communication resources. Organized by subject.

 

University of Iowa

Links to communication resources.

 

WWW Virtual Library

The VL is the oldest catalog of the web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of html and the web itself. Unlike commercial catalogs, it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are expert; even though it isn't the biggest index of the web, the VL pages are widely recognized as being amongst the highest-quality guides to particular sections of the web.

  Associations

Below are some of the websites related to professional activity in the communication field:

American Communication Association

"The AMERICAN COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION is the national professional organization of scholars, students, and practitioners in the field of communication studies. This site provides information about the ACA, a collection of materials on communication law and First Amendment issues, resources for teaching and research in communication studies, and an extensive reference resource page for scholars and activists."

 

Communications Research Group

"The group conducts research into the use of computer and communications technologies including distributed systems, wide and local area networks, multi-media and virtual reality, to support human communications and especially the work of physically distributed groups. This research includes the developments of new theories, models and systems, evaluation of these and dissemination of results to the wider research and development community."

 

Lambda Pi Eta

"The goals of Lambda Pi Eta are to recognize, foster, and reward outstanding scholastic achievement; stimulate interest in the field of communication; promote and encourage professional development among communication majors; provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas about the field; establish and maintain close relationships and understanding between faculty and students; and explore options for further graduate studies."

 

mediastudies.com

"The purpose of mediastudies.com is to help advance research and education in critical theory, new media studies, and critical thinking.  The site serves as a hub - providing links to educational guidelines and other resources for media educators, students, researchers, and the wider community.  New sites will be featured periodically."

 

National Communication Association

"NCA is a non-profit organization of approximately 7,100 educators, practitioners, and students who work and reside in every state and more than 20 foreign countries.  The purpose of the Association is to promote study, criticism, research, teaching, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and scientific principles of communication.  NCA is the oldest and largest national organization to promote communication scholarship and education."

 

Southern States Communication Association

"Our purpose is to promote the study, criticism, research, teaching, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and scientific principles of communication. SSCA, a not-for-profit organization, exists for educational, scientific, and literary purposes only. The mission of this network is to bring those in speech and communication-related disciplines--predominantly located, but not limited to the Southern United States--closer together."

Citing Sources

For information on style manuals and guides found in McFarlin Library, check out  How to Cite Sources.