WELCOME TO YOUR COURSE GUIDE!

This course guide was created for COM 2300: Theories of Mass Communication.  Below you'll find a range of resources to help you complete your research assignment. You can contact me about getting started; finding data, statistics, or analysis; finding out if you can get access to a specific resource; citing your sources; or anything in between. 

Use the links on the left to navigate around this course guide.

SELECTING A TOPIC

Sometimes, getting started on a major project can be a significant hurtle.  The various paths you can take may feel overwhelming.  You’ll be working on your project all semester, so you need to make sure it is a topic you will enjoy.  And, your research project will need to be unique and thoughtful.

As you consider different topics for your project, use the E-Reference Resources in Communication to gather background information and find out more about that area of study.

For example, if you are considering a study of college students and mobile devices, take a look at the Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies.  Or, perhaps you are interested in studying Body Image in Girls and Young Women, which can be found in the Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents and the Media.

E-Reference Resources can also be very useful when developing your research methodologies, or if you come across unknown terms or ideas as you perform your research.  For help with research methodologies, check out the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, the Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, or the Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods.

If you plan on performing a survey, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods will be of use to you.

Find a Topic - Encyclopedias

 Reference Works

Reference works are an important source for concept definitions, overview articles, and short bibliographies. They can point you towards key works in the literature on your topic. To find reference articles in communication, start with the resources below, search the library for additional encyclopedias, handbooks, and bibliographies, or contact a librarian.

  Encyclopedia of Communication Theory

With more than 300 entries, these two volumes provide a one-stop source for a comprehensive overview of communication theory, offering current descriptions of theories as well as the background issues and concepts that comprise these theories. This is the first resource to summarize, in one place, the diversity of theory in the communication field.

  Encyclopedia of Health Communication

  Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition

  International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies

Includes articles on key concepts, theories, and methodologies in journalism studies

  International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication

Examines a variety of phenomena ranging from traditional work on topics such as leader-follower communication, negotiation, and organizational culture, to more contemporary research examining the appropriation of communication technologies, inter-organizational networks, and hidden forms of work and organization.

  Oxford Bibliographies: Cinema and Media Studies

Provides overviews with bibliographies for key terms, concepts, and figures in cinema and media studies

  Oxford Encyclopedia of Intergroup Communication

  Sage Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods

Includes articles on a wide range of methods and concepts in the field of communication

  Encyclopedia of Public Relations

This work explores the evolution of the Public Relations field, with examples from history describing events, changing practices, and the key figures who developed and expanded the profession.

  Encyclopedia of Rhetoric

  Oxford Encyclopedia of Communication

Finding Background Research

The Library has a large number of subject specific online encyclopedias, companions and handbooks with exhaustive and well-researched entries written by subject experts. These essays are generally helpful startiing points and can help you in defining and focusing your topic. Essays generally include bibliographies that will lead you to further sources on your topic.

Find a sampling of useful Communication and methods resources below.  More encyclopedias, companions and handbooks can be found on the Communication E-Reference list and in the library's online catalog. 

Finding Articles

Scholarly/Peer-reviewed

Article databases can be searched using key terms to find these articles.  There are several useful databases in Communication: 

 Search for Articles

These search engines will help you identify articles on your research topic. Enter one search term on each line, then use the filters to limit by date range and to focus on subjects that are relevant to your research question.

  Communication & Mass Media Complete (EBSCO)

Indexes academic journals, magazines, books, and book reviews in the fields of communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields. Includes abstracts and full text for selected journals. Coverage goes back to the early 20th century.

  Film & Television Literature Index (EBSCO)

Indexes academic journals, popular magazines, and books in the fields of film and television. Includes abstracts for scholarly journal articles. Topics range from film & television theory to preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, and technical aspects. Coverage goes back to the early 20th century and includes foreign language publications.

  Project Muse

Provides full-text access to books and journals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

  Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest)

Indexes the literature of sociology and related fields. Includes citations to journal articles, dissertations, books, conference papers, and magazines. Offers abstracts and selected full text.

  ComAbstracts (CIOS)

Indexes academic journals and books in the fields of communication and journalism. Includes abstracts. Coverage extends back to the early 20th century. Updated continuously. Complements ComIndex.

  Communication Abstracts (EBSCO)

Indexes academic journals, magazines, books, and book reviews in the fields of communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields. Includes abstracts for journals, magazines, and books as well as full text for selected journals and magazines. Coverage goes back to the early 20th century.

  JSTOR

Provides a full text archive of academic journals and books in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. The most recent three to five years of a journal are usually not included.

News Sources

The Library subscribes to a variety of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post,  and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Access to the text of many newspapers is available through Proquest Newspapers and Nexis Uni.

See also this recent Library Blog post about Fetching Newspapers.

Books

While researching your topic, don’t forget to take a look at the vast collection of books Falvey has to offer.  You are probably accustomed to finding scholarly articles as part of a research project, but books are also a significant area of scholarly publishing.  Don’t forget to hit the stacks! (Or, click through to our many online and e-books.)

To search for books, go to the library’s Search tab, and then click the smaller Books & More tab.  You can search for keywords, or you can use the drop-down menu to search for specific titles or authors. 

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Need a book the library doesn’t own?  Put a request through our EZBorrow or ILLiad services.

Often it is easier to review a book on your topic before beginning your article searches.  A book can give a broader perspective on your topic, while journal articles tend to be very narrowly focused.  Even if you do not reference the book in your term paper, it can still serve as an important source for finding key scholarly research articles on your topic.

Articles and books that are not owned by the library can be easily borrowed through our interlibrary loan system. ILLiad is best for requesting articles, and EZBorrow is the preferred method for requesting books that are available in that system.

MOVING FORWARD

Checking an article’s reference list is a great way of searching the past for related research, but how can you find out what impact that article had on future research?  The Data Citation Index (Clarivate) allows you to do just that.

Choose the Cited Reference Search to search for the author and journal title of an article you have found to be useful.  Search to see if other scholars have cited that article since its publication. 

Very recent articles will not have been cited yet.  Because of the great volume of annual publications, many articles are rarely cited.  Also, works may have been cited by research not indexed in SSCI.

APA CITATION 

Even though you may have used APA style before, you may be full of dread at the thought of writing your reference list.  The library is here to help!

Whether writing your reference list by hand or proofreading, you will definitely need to have the APA rules on hand.  Check out the resources below:

• If you need to see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association-the official authority on all things APA-stop by the Information Desk to browse a copy. 
• APA Online Guidelines.  If you find the Publication Manual confusing, try this online guide. It gives a thorough overview of how to format your paper and cite your sources. 
• Purdue OWL Guide to APA Citation
• APA Style Blog
  For those trickier scenarios (how do I cite my class notes?  how do I cite a blog post?), try searching the APA Style Blog.  
• Zotero
  Zotero is a free tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. Just download web browser and word processor plugins to get started, or to cite quickly without saving your references, use the Zbib tool.