Research Guide to Communication


| Web Resources | Reference Books | CONSULS Catalog | Databases & Indexes | Locating Periodicals | Interlibrary Loan | Questions? |


Resources on the World Wide Web

Here are some links to help you explore the growing number of Web sites on communication and media:

For tips on citation format, please see Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online (www.dianahacker.com/resdoc).


Reference Books for Background Information

Reference books are shelved by Library of Congress call number in the reference stacks on the first floor of the Ruth Haas Library. They may not be checked out, but photocopiers are available for student use on the first and third floors of the Haas Library.

General Reference on Communication

Communication Handbook: A DictionaryRef P 87.5.D46 1986
Dictionary of Communication and Media StudiesRef P 87.5.W38 1984
Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. 3 volumes.Ref P 87.5.E53 2001
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications. 4 volumes.Ref P 87.5.E535 2003
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Semiotics, Media, and CommunicationsRef P 87.5.D36 2000
Hargrave's Communications DictionaryYoung Library: Ref TK 5102.H37 2001
Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United StatesRef JA 85.2.U6.H57 1999
International Encyclopedia of Communications. 4 volumes.Ref P 87.5.I5 1989
Longman Dictionary of Mass Media & CommunicationRef P 87.5.L66 1982
Webster's New World Dictionary of Media and CommunicationsRef P 87.5.W45 1990

Related Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. 3 volumes.Young Library: Ref HF 5803.A38 2003
Cambridge Encyclopedia of LanguageRef P 29.C64 1987
Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. 4 volumes.Ref Z 657.C393 2001
Companion Encyclopedia of Psychology. 2 volumes.Ref BF 31.C66 1994
Dictionary of Marketing CommunicationsYoung Library: Ref HF 5412.G68 2004
Encyclopedia of Censorship. Revised edition.Ref Z 657.G73 2005
Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. 4 volumes.Ref BF 31.D5 1994
Encyclopedia of Psychology. 8 volumes.Ref BF 31.E52 2000
Encyclopedia of SemioticsRef P 99.E64 1998
Encyclopedia of Sociology. 4 volumes.Ref HM 17.E5 1991
International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Second edition. 4 volumes.Ref P 29.I58 2003

Media Studies

The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Media in AmericaRef P 92.U5.H58 1995
Encyclopedia of American JournalismRef PN 4855.P26 1983
Encyclopedia of Old-Time RadioRef PN 1991.3.U6.D8 1990
Encyclopedia of Television. Second edition. 4 volumes.Ref PN 1992.18.E53 2004
Encyclopedia of Television NewsRef PN 4888.T4.E53 1999
Historical Dictionary of African-American TelevisionRef PN 1992.8.A34.F43 2006
Historical Dictionary of American RadioRef PN 1991.2.H57 1998
History of the Mass Media in the United StatesRef P 92.U5.H55 1998
The Media in AmericaRef P 92.U5.H58 1995
NTC's Mass Media DictionaryRef P 87.5.E45 1991
Plunkett's Entertainment and Media Industry AlmanacRef P 88.8.P57 1998

Handbooks & Directories

The Communication Disciplines in Higher Education:
A Guide to Academic Programs in the United States and Canada
Ref P 88.8.E46 1990
Directory of Graduate Programs in the Communication Arts and Sciences, 1986-87Ref P 95.D57 1986-87
Encyclopedia of Associations. 4 volumes. (Annual)Haas Ready Reference shelves
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (Annual)Ref Z 6951.A972
Gebbie Press All-In-One Directory (newspapers, radio & television stations, news syndicates)Ref P 88.8.G4a
Handbook of Family Measurement TechniquesRef HQ 728.T68 1990
Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication. Second edition.Ref P 94.6.H36 2002
Handbook of Interpersonal Communication. Third edition.Ref BF 637.C45.H287 2002
Handbook of Small Group Research. Second edition.Ref HM 133.H36 1976
Media and American Courts: A Reference HandbookRef KF 9223.5.A9154 2004
Tests: A Comprehensive Reference. Third edition.Ref BF 176.T43 1991
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory(Annual)Ref Z6941.U5 (also available online)
Violence and the MediaRef P 96.V5.N48 1996
Women and Mass CommunicationsRef P 94.5.W65.L45 1991

Yearbooks & Annuals

Communication Yearbook (annual)Haas 5th Floor: P 87.C5974
Progress in Communication Science (annual)Haas 5th Floor: P 87.P74
Sage Annual Reviews of Communication Research
(search by Title in CONSULS using series title)
Call numbers vary
Sage Commtext Series (search by Title in CONSULS using the series title)Call numbers vary

Biographical Sources

Dictionary of Literary Biography
Volume 79: American Magazine Journalists, 1850-1900
Volume 137: American Magazine Journalists, 1900-1960
Volume 185: American Literary Journalists, 1945-1995
Ref PS 21.D5 1997
American Voices: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary OratorsRef PS 408.A47 2005
Biographical Dictionary of American JournalismRef PN 4871.B56 1989
Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century JournalistsRef PN 4871.T34 1986
Journalists of the United StatesRef PN 4871.D68 1991
Literary Journalism: A Biographical Dictionary of Writers and EditorsRef PN 4820.A66 1996
Women in Communication: A Biographical SourcebookRef P 94.5.W65.W667 1996
Current Biography Yearbook (1940- )Ref CT 100.C8
Biography Index (1946- ). Arranged alphabetically by last name of biographee with an Index to Professions at the end of each volume.Index shelves in Haas reference area (near the atrium)

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CONSULS Online Catalog for Books and Media

CONSULS catalog workstations are located in the Reference Area on the first floor, and on each of the other floors of the Haas Library. You may logon to CONSULS via the WCSU Libraries Homepage at library.wcsu.edu/web or directly at www.consuls.org. For more detailed instructions on searching, please see the yellow CONSULS flyer on the display rack on the first floor.

Please Note: CONSULS ignores upper and lower case, and you may omit punctuation, except the hyphen which must be replaced by a space.

TO FIND WORKS WITH A SPECIFIC TITLE:

Select Title at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type as much of the title as you remember in correct word order. In CONSULS, you may omit "a," "an," or "the" at the beginning of a title.

Example: the media and body image: if looks could kill (press RETURN or ENTER)
Or just: media and body im (press RETURN)

TO FIND WORKS WRITTEN BY A SPECIFIC PERSON:

Select Author at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the person's name last-name-first. Correct spelling is important.

Example: tannen deborah (press RETURN or ENTER)
Or just: tannen d (press RETURN)

To limitsearch results to items owned by WCSU, click on Limit/Sort and then select WCSU under "Where Item Is Located."

TO FIND WORKS WRITTEN ABOUT A SPECIFIC PERSON:

Select Subject at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the person's name last-name-first. Correct spelling is important. To limit results to items owned by WCSU, use Limit/Sort.

Example: mcluhan marshall (press RETURN or ENTER)
Or just: mcluhan m (press RETURN)

TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC BY SUBJECT HEADING:

Select Subject at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the Library of Congress subject heading which best describes your topic. Correct spelling and word order are important. The complete list of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is published in a set of big red books available in the Reference Area on the first floor of the Haas Library.

Type: Communication--Psychological aspects (press RETURN or ENTER)
Or just: communication psych (press RETURN)

The following Library of Congress subject headings are relevant to communication theory:

Communication (many subdivisions)
Communication--History
Communication--International
Communication--Methodology
Communication--Philosophy
Communication--Policy
Communication--Psychological aspects
Communication--Research
Communication--Sex differences
Communication--Social aspects
Communication--United States

See also:
Communication and cultureCommunication in medicine
Communication and technologyCommunication in organizations
Communication devices for the disabledCommunication in personnel management
Communication in educationCommunication in politics
Communication in managementCommunication in science
Communication in marketingCommunication in small groups
Communication in marriageCommunication in the family

Related headings:
Animal communicationInterpersonal communication
AttentionInterviewing
Body languageLanguage and languages
Business communicationLanguage arts
Children--LanguageMeaning (Psychology)
CognitionNonverbal communication
Communicative competenceOral communication
ConsciousnessPerception
ConversationPersuasion (Psychology)
CyberneticsPropaganda
Deaf--Means of communicationPsycholinguistics
Developmentally disabled--Means of communicationRhetoric
Diffusion of innovationsSemiotics
Eye contactSmall groups
ExpressionSymbolic interactionism
Facial expressionSymbolism in communication
GestureTelecommunications
HearingVisual communication
Human-animal communicationVisually handicapped--Means of communication
Information literacyWomen in communication
Intercultural communicationWritten communication

Digital mediaMotion pictures
Mass mediaNewspapers
Media--HistoryPress
Media literacyTelevision broadcasting

TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC BY KEYWORDS:

Select Keyword(s) at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the words which best describe your topic, in any order.

Example: mass media and body image press RETURN or ENTER
Broader: mass media and (self-image or self-perception) press RETURN
Narrower: television and advertising and body image press RETURN
Or: mass media and (anorexi* or eating disorder*) press RETURN

Example: nonverbal communication and (gender or sex*) press RETURN or ENTER
Broader: communicat* and (gender or sex*) press RETURN
Narrower: nonverbal communication and (men or male* or masculin*) press RETURN
Or: nonverbal communication and (women or female* or femini*) press RETURN

Use the * (asterisk) as a truncation symbol to retrieve variant forms of a word root. Use the Boolean OR to expand your search by including synonyms and related terms. When using two different Boolean commands in the same search statement ("and" and "or" in the preceding examples) you must include parentheses to indicate which command is to be performed first.

TO REQUEST MATERIALS FROM THE OTHER CSU LIBRARIES:

If the item you need is owned by one of the other CSU Libraries (CCSU, SCSU, or ECSU) but not by WCSU, or if the WCSU copy is checked out, you may order the item electronically via Inter-Campus Loan. Select the Request option at the full record display in CONSULS, then type your student ID# and your library PIN code. If you need assistance with your library PIN, please contact the librarian at the Reference Desk at (203) 837-9110.

There is a limit of ten (10) Inter-Campus Loan requests per person. Videos are available via Inter-Campus Loan. Please allow 4-5 days for delivery to the Haas Circulation Desk. Items borrowed via Inter-Campus Loan may be renewed for an additional borrowing period if no one has placed a HOLD on the item.

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Databases & Indexes for Finding Periodical Articles

Computerized Indexes

Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) in EBSCOhost
Coverage: Issue number one to present for some publications.
Location: Listed under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Full-text of over 200 journals in communication and related fields and citation coverage for additional sources.
PsychINFO in EBSCOhost
Coverage: 1967 - present
Location: Listed under Listed under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexes journal articles and books in psychology and related fields. Published by the American Psychological Association.
Business Source Premier in EBSCOhost
Coverage: As early as 1922 for more than 350 top scholarly journals
Location: Listed under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Full-text of more than 8,300 periodicals in business and related subjects, such as advertising and marketing, including over 1,100 scholarly business journals.
ERIC in EBSCOhost
Coverage: 1969 - present (earlier for some publications)
Location: Listed under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexing and abstracting of journal articles and unpublished research reports in education and related fields. A substantial number of the core journals in communication are also indexed in ERIC.
MEDLINE in EBSCOhost
Coverage: 1966 - present
Location: Listed under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexing and abstracting of over 4,800 biomedical journals, including publications in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care. This database is a product of the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
WorldCat via OCLC FirstSearch
Location: Select OCLC FirstSearch under Articles/Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexes 60+ million books, manuscripts, theses, and non-print materials in all fields. If the item is not owned by WCSU, you may use Interlibrary Loan.

Printed Indexes

Communication Abstracts
Coverage: 1982 - present
Location: Index shelves in Haas reference area (near the atrium)
Scope: Worldwide coverage of journal articles, reports, and books on topics in communication. See cumulative author and subject indexes at the end of each December issue.
Index to Journals in Communication Studies Through 1990
Coverage: Through 1990
Location: Index shelves and in Haas reference stacks: P 87.M37 1992
Scope: Indexes 19 core scholarly journals in the field of communication by subject, keyword, and contributor.

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Locating Periodicals in the Haas Library

To find out if WCSU subscribes to a specific periodical:

1. Select Journal Title at the CONSULS main menu, then type the name of the periodical (example: communication monographs) and press RETURN. If a title list appears on the screen, select the desired title, then look inside the box to find WCSU holdings. Be sure to scroll down the page to see if WCSU owns backfiles on microfilm or microfiche.

2. Or, use the printed WCSU Serials List, available in multiple copies on the first and third floors of the Haas Library, which lists all the newspapers, magazines, and journals owned by WCSU in alphabetical order by title. If WCSU subscribes to the periodical you need, you will find it on the third floor. Print volumes are shelved alphabetically by periodical title. Microfilm and microfiche backfiles are stored alphabetically by title in the metal filing cabinets. Reader/printer machines are available on the third floor for viewing and making copies of microforms.

3. To find out if a given periodical is available in full-text in an online database, you may use the A-to-Z Journal Title Locator at library.wcsu.edu/web/resources/journals or under "Resources" on the WCSU Libraries Homepage (library.wcsu.edu/web).


How to Use Interlibrary Loan

If the CSU Libraries do not own the book you need, or if WCSU does not subscribe to the periodical you need, you may request delivery of the item via Interlibrary Loan using the online ILLiad system available at: library.wcsu.edu/web/services/ill.

There is a limit of 5 Interlibrary Loan requests per person per day. Videos are not available via Interlibrary Loan. Under most circumstances, Interlibrary Loan is a free service, but please allow at least ten working days for delivery. You will be notified as soon as the material arrives. Faster document delivery service is available for a reasonable fee. Please see the librarian at the Reference Desk or call the Interlibrary Loan Desk at (203) 837-9114 for more information.


Do You Have a Question?

The Reference Desk on the first floor of the Haas Library is staffed by a professional librarian who is trained to assist in your research, or you may contact Joan Reitz, Instruction Librarian, at 837-8308 or reitzj@wcsu.edu. My office is located in Room 402 on the fourth floor of the Haas Library (near the glass elevator).

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Please send comments to Joan Reitz, HaaS Instruction Librarian, Western Connecticut State University.
reitzj@wcsu.edu
Last updated on August 22, 2007