Last revised: August 2007
Communication Theory and Applied Communication
Scope: This guide is designed to help you do research on communication theory and applied communication, especially communication within the public sphere. It has been written to support research at the University of Maryland, but in many instances it will also be helpful for doing research at other libraries. For special assistance, you may email Alan Mattlage, the UM Libraries' Liaison to the the UM Communication Department, or call him at 301-405-9065.
See also the UM Library guide Speeches, and other library guides, such as Psychology, News Sources on the Web, and others found at Research Guides by Subject Discipline.
Table of Contents
Finding Books and Serials
Use the Libraries' Catalog to search for books and journal titles. Journals are also referred to as "serials," "magazines," and "periodicals." The Catalog will give you access to cataloging records for materials at the UM College Park campus and at other campuses in the University System of Maryland. Library patrons may have books delivered to College Park by placing a "request" on the book.
There are three important ways to do research on a particular subject in the Catalog.
- Use a "word/s anywhere" search to retrieve records that contain your search term(s) anywhere in the cataloging record. Such a search is simple to do, but will often return many records that are not relevant to your research.
- Use a "call number" search to see all the records beginning with and following the specified call number. This is an electronic version of simply browsing the shelves. Consult the LC Classification Schedule for an outline of the Libraries' call number classification system.
- Use a "word/s in subject" search to retrieve records in which your search term(s) appear in the subject field of the cataloging record or a "subject beginning with... search to browse the list of subjects in the catalog with links to the holdings. These are much more powerful search techniques than the Keyword search.
Keep in mind, however, that to do an effective "word/s in subject" search you must know the precise terms that are used by the catalogers. An alphabetical list of these terms can be viewed by doing a Subject Browse. Alternatively, you may examine the Library of Congress Authority Files. This is a cataloger's tool that lists all the currently acceptable subject headings, along with "official" names and titles of authors and works. A print listing of Library of Congress subject terms are available in the Libraries.
Databases (Journal Articles)
Search databases to find journal articles in your field of study. Research Port provides a gateway to the databases made available by the University of Maryland Libraries.
Academic Search Premier UM only
This is large multidisciplinary database containing a great deal of full-text articles. It is good for general research in nearly every academic discipline.Communication and Mass Media Complete UM only
This is the premiere databases for searching journal and other scholarly literature in the field of Communication. In many cases, it permits searches for articles that site a specified article or author. It contains the full-text of the journals published by the National Communication Association.Digital Dissertations UM only
Citations, abstracts, and full text (UM dissertations 1997 - present) for more than 1.6 million U.S. and international masters theses and doctoral dissertations.ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center) UM only
The documents indexed in ERIC are based on Current Index to Journals in Education and Resources in Education.Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe UM only
A full-text online service offering access to hundreds of databases. Materials online include court decisions on the federal and state level, federal and state statutory law, administrative rules, regulations and court decisions, American Law Reports, law reviews, national and regional newspapers, business and finance magazines, newsletters and wire services, and more.LLBA: Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts UM only
Some categories include interpersonal behavior and communication, sociolinguistics, and nonverbal communication.PAIS International UM only
A subject index to books, pamphlets, government publications, reports of public and private agencies, and periodicals related to economic and social conditions, public administration, and international relations. Material includes French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish language publications.PsycINFO UM only
This is the premier database for research in the field of psychology.SocIndex UM only
A primary resource for researchers, professionals and students in the field of sociology and related disciplines.Web of Science UM only
This is a gateway to two large databases: Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index. Each provides citations only, but they permits searches for articles citing a specified article or author. They can be search separately or simultaneously.
