Human Communication: Library Research Guide

  Databases
The Library subscribes to databases that provide articles on communications topics.  To get to them, follow these steps:
        s go to the Library's homepage and click "FIND DATABASES"
        s at the right, click on "HUMAN COMMUNICATION" (or "COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS")
        s you will then see a list of databases that are ideal for finding articles in that field

KEYWORD SEARCHING: Once you are in a database, search for articles similar to searching on Google: type in keywords of what you want (e.g. debate and clubs).   A list of articles will then come up.  If you see "FULL TEXT" next to any on the list, great!  You can click and read the full-text immediately.  If "FULL TEXT" is not stated, then click on the yellow "Find it" button 

SUBJECT SEARCHING: You don't have to only search with random keywords.  Random keywords can often bring up hundreds of unrelated articles, simply because the keywords appeared somewhere in the article.   Instead, change your search box to a SUBJECT search, and type a word.  This will look for articles entirely ABOUT that word, not just find that word randomly.   For example, an article ABOUT interpersonal communication, not just an article that has the words interpersonal communication in it.

For articles on controversial/debate topics, also visit the Library's quick-guide to controversial/debate resources, here.
 

Human Communication is in many ways interdisciplinary.  For example, if you wanted to research the role of speech in social settings, you might consult the Sociology database.  At the "FIND DATABASES" page, you can click on other majors to find their databases.

  Printed Indexes
To find articles older than 1985, you will need to consult printed indexes, since   databases typically don't cover older than that.  Printed indexes do the same thing as databases--let you find articles by subject, author, etc.--they are just slower because you have to look the citations up manually.  Here are some printed indexes helpful to Human Communication Students:
Index to journals in communication studies through 1990 (from 1970-1990)
Communication abstracts (from 1978- on)
Cum. indexes of journals of the Am.Speech&Hearing Assoc (from 1936-1972)
Speech index (from 1935-1966)
Psychological Abstracts (from 1927-1993)

Prepared by: John Hickok, Communications Librarian
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