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Guide to Communication Resources

The following is a selected list of resources for starting research in Communication. For further assistance, contact Allison Carr, Social Sciences Librarian.

 

Books

To search for books, you need to use a library catalog. Depending on how much time you have, you have a couple of options

Books at Cal State San Marcos

Library Catalog
Search our local collection of about 250,000 books.

Other Options

Circuit (1-3 day delivery)
Search the collections of other San Diego area libraries -- about 3,000,000 books. Find and request books directly online; pick them up at our Library in 1-3 days.

WorldCat (5-10 day delivery)
Search the collections of libraries world-wide -- about 52,000,000 books. Find a book in this database, and fill-out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Book will be delivered to Library for pickup.

 

Journal Articles

To look for articles in journals, newspapers, or magazines, you will need to start with a research database. The following databases provide abstracts of articles from thousands of journals and other sources, often providing full-text.

You can also browse our list of electronic journals for Communication.

Most Useful

Communication & Mass Media Complete
Provides abstracts and full text for more than 200 communication journals.
Coverage: 1950→current

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)
Provides abstracts of articles from about 2,000 journals (published worldwide), coverage of recent books, book review citations and dissertation listings.
Coverage: 1973→current

Academic Search Premier
This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study including: computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and many more.
Coverage: 1975→current

ABI Inform Global
Abstracts to articles from more than 1,000 leading business and management publications, with full-text for most popular sources.
Coverage: 1971→current

Also Useful

ERIC
A national database of education literature, including reports and journal articles.
Coverage: 1966→current

PsycINFO
Available via EbscoHost: A comprehensive international database of psychology, covering the academic, research, and practice literature in psychology from over 45 countries in more than 30 languages.
Coverage: 1887→current

Sage Journals Online
Sage Journals Online includes over 460 journals in Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology and Medicine.
Coverage: current

Sociological Abstracts
Provides access to the latest international findings in theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and political science.
Coverage: 1963→current

 

Web sites

Not all websites are the same. For quality information review the source (domain) carefully! Here are a few places to start.

American Communication Association
Provides information on and links to debate, health communication, mass media, political communication, and more.

Annenberg Public Policy Center
Focuses on communication, public policy, health communication, and the media; includes online reports.

Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS)
Offers access to a searchable database, as well as news about upcoming conferences and publications.

EFFector Online
Newsletter of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, focusing on issues of privacy, media, access to information, etc.

Electronic Journal of Communication
Searchable full text of the journal published by the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship

International Association of Business Communicators
Links to business and organizational communication sites.

International Communication Association is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. Begun more than 50 years ago it is now a truly international association with more than 3,500 members in 65 countries.

Media and Communication Studies
Covers many aspects of communication, including media education, film, mass communication, etc.

National Communication Association This association includes more than 7,000 members gathered "to promote study, criticism, research, teaching, and application of the artistic, humanistic, and scientific principles of communication.

Rhetoric and Composition
Provides links to classical rhetoric sites, online journals, and related associations.

Yahoo! Communications
Links compiled by the Web directory Yahoo!

Librarian’s Index to the Internet
A searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 7,500 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries.