This guide suggests resources for research in visual rhetoric which is defined as a form of communication that uses images to create meaning or construct an argument.  See also Advertising, Art, Communication Studies, and Mass Communication research guides.

Background Information  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books  |  Journals  |  Organizations  |  Web 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.  Sources with call #s preceded by R, are located in Kent Reference, third floor.

The Color Compendium	R 658.8270973 T6752
Color, Contrast & Dimension in News Design	web resource
Defining Visual Rhetorics	Kent Stacks  302.23 D3618
Design, Form, and Chaos	Kent Stacks  741.6 R156d
Handbook of Visual Analysis	Kent Stacks  302.23 H19178
Handbook of Visual Communication Research	Kent Stacks  302.23 H191782
Oxford Art Online	library subscription database
Persuasive Imagery	Kent Stacks 153.852 P4324
Shaping Information: the rhetoric of visual conventions	Kent Stacks 302.23 K8481s

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 print indexes and online databases:

Academic Search Premier  multidisciplinary database	library subscription database
Communication & Mass Media Complete	library subscription database
E Journal Portal   - gateway to "shelves" of full text journals & magazines	online resource
Project Muse  humanities & social sciences full text journals	library subscription database
PsycInfo	library subscription database
Wilson Web OmniFile includes Art Index, Humanities Index & Social Sciences Index	library subscription 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.

Browse the shelves by call number. 

070s  journalism, publishing, news media
302s  includes mass media
650s  advertising
740s-770s   drawing, painting, graphic & computer art, photography
791s  tv, radio, film, video
 

 

Advertising Age	E Journal Portal
Communication Arts	Kent Library Periodicals
Visual Anthropology	E Journal Portal
Visual Arts Research	Kent Library Periodicals
Visual Studies	E Journal Portal

 

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

AEJMC Visual Communication Division
National Communication Association
 

NYPL Digital Gallery
Rhetorical Studies, Theory & Philosophy
Visual Communication - Visual Rhetorics
 

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