Welcome!
Welcome to the Communications Studies Guide! The purpose of this guide is to offer tips regarding picking topics, searching and a selection of the best bets in term of journals, databases and related resources necessary to do communication research.
Doing Background Research
Encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries are a good starting place to learn more about the issues and topics that are important in the Communications studies field. These books offer the type of background information (theories and specific research topics) in Communication Sciences that will help you develop your topic/research question. You can find other encyclopedias and handbooks using the General Search text box in the library website. Use keywords such as encyclopedias, handbooks, communication, "media communication" or "interpersonal communication" to find similar books.
A Dictionary of Media and Communication by ISBN: 9780199568758Publication Date: 2011-04-01The Dictionary of Media and Communication is an authoritative and wide-ranging A-Z providing over 2,200 entries on terms used in media and communication, from concepts and theories to technical terms, across subject areas that include advertising, digital culture, journalism, new media, radiostudies, and telecommunications.
Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media by ISBN: 1412905303Publication Date: 2006-12-14From Internet censorship to sex and violence on television and in video games to debates over rock lyrics, the media and their affect on children and adolescents is one of the most widely debated issues in our society. The Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media presents state-of-the-art research and ready-to-use facts on the media's interaction with children and adolescents. Includes entries covering television, film, video games, the Internet, magazines and music.
The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies by ISBN: 9781118733561Publication Date: 2014-02-10The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies brings together over 200 critical essays to redraw the boundaries of this rapidly evolving and dynamically complex area. Global in scope, wide-ranging in its inclusion of topics, and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars.
Mediated Interpersonal Communication by Call Number: HM1166 .M43 2008ISBN: 9780203926864Publication Date: 2008-05-12This collection explores how existing and new personal communication technologies facilitate and change interpersonal interactions. (Available in print and online)
Theories and Research Methods
If you know your topic but need help to find a theoretical framework or research methods for your project, here is a list of resources that may help you.
Handbook of Media and Communications Research by Call Number: P91.3 .H34 2002ISBN: 0415225884Publication Date: 2002-05-10A Handbook of Media and Communications Research presents qualitative as well as quantitative approaches to the analysis and interpretation of media, covering perspectives from both the social sciences and the humanities. To use this book, use this "Search within this publication" for any topic in this area. Available in print too.
Sourcebook for Political Communication Research by ISBN: 9780203938669Publication Date: 2010-12-14The Sourcebook for Political Communication Research offers a comprehensive resource for current research methods, measures, and analytical techniques. The contents herein cover the major analytical techniques used in political communication research, including surveys, experiments, content analysis, discourse analysis (focus groups and textual analysis), network and deliberation analysis, comparative study designs, statistical analysis, and measurement issues.
Handbook of Visual Communication by ISBN: 9780805841787Publication Date: 2004-11-03This text provides an overview of the research methodologies in visual communication and its approach includes an examination of the theories most common to visual communication, the traditional methodologies used in these theoretical areas, and innovative methodologies that extend the traditional research boundaries.
