This guide suggests resources for research in communication studies, covering such  areas as oral communication, group communication, interpersonal communication, and corporate communication.

Background Information  |  Facts & Figures  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  People  |  Organizations  |  Web Resources  |  Additional Resources 

Background Information (Overview Sources)

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.
 

Communication Yearbook	Kent Stacks  001.505 C737
Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics	R 170.3 En182
Encyclopedia of Communication and Information	R 302.203 En194
Encyclopedia of Rhetoric	R 808.003 En197
Encyclopedia of Semiotics	R 401.4103 En19
Handbook of Conflict Resolution	Kent Stacks  303.69 H19152
Handbook of Group Communication Theory & Research	Kent Stacks  302.34 H19158
Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication	Kent Stacks  302.2 H191 2002
Handbook of Interpersonal Communication	Kent Stacks  302.2 H1915
Handbook of Visual Analysis	Kent Stacks  302.23 H19178
International Encyclopedia of Communications	R 302.203 In8
The New Handbook of Organizational Communication	Kent Stacks  658.45 N42

 

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.
 

A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms	428.1 L27h
Representative American Speeches, 1937-1997	Ref Desk  815.5408 R299
Websters New World Dictionary of Media and Communications	R 302.2303 W431w

 

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, & to access these online resources, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases and print indexes.

ABI/Inform (business, corporate information)	online database
Academic Search Premier (multidisciplinary)	online database
Communication & Mass Media Complete	online database
Communication Abstracts (1978-1997)	in Periodical Index area
E Journal Portal   (gateway to "shelves" of full text journals & magazines)	online resource
Index to Journals in Communication Studies through 1990	Kent Stacks 016.302205 M427i
Project Muse (humanities & social sciences full text journals)	online database
PsycInfo	online database
Speech Index + supplement	R 808.850016 Su87s4
Wilson Web OmniFile includes Humanities Index & Social Sciences Index	online database

 

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.shtml) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.

Browse the shelves by Dewey Decimal call number. 

070s  journalism, publishing, news media
302s  mass media, interpersonal, small group, & visual communication
303s  intercultural communication
306s  political communication
650s  management, organizational communication, public relations
791s  tv, radio, film, video
808s  rhetoric, public speaking
 

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

American Orators Before 1900	R 923 Am354
American Orators of the Twentieth Century	R 923 Am355
Women in Communication: a Biographical Sourcebook	R 920.72 W8422

    
      
   

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

American Communication Association
American Forensic Association
Central States Communication Association
Corporate Communication Institute (CCI)
National Communication Association
 

American Rhetoric: Online Speech Bank
Center for Nonverbal Studies
Communication Institute for Online Scholarship
Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
Political Communication Center
Rhetorical Studies, Theory, & Philosophy
Speeches and Speechmakers 
University of Iowa Department of Communication Studies - Links to Resources

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web searching tools page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.shtml).
 

 

Encyclopedia of Relationships Across the Lifespan	R 302.03 T854e
Management of Corporate Communication: From Interpersonal Contacts to External Affairs	Kent Stacks 658.45 H351m
Public Argument	Kent Stacks 808.53 W436p
Social and Cognitive Approaches to Interpersonal Communication	Kent Stacks 302.2 So1313
Voices of Multicultural America: Notable Speeches Delivered by African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans, 1790-1995	Ref Desk 808.85 V87
We Shall Be Heard: Women Speakers in America, 1828-present.  (covers 1828-1978)	Kent Stacks  305.40973 W369
We Shall Be Heard:  An Index to Speeches by American Women, 1978-1985	R 808.850016 M316w