Communication Studies

Background Information and Facts

The Reference Collection is an excellent place to jumpstart your research. An easy way to search for reference books at JMU Libraries is to click one of the links below, then add your topic in the second row and click search:

• Search for reference books in JMU Library Catalog (print and online)
• Search for e-reference books in JMU Library Catalog (online only)

Specific types of Reference books:

Encyclopedias and Handbooks  |  Dictionaries  |  Finding Literature Reviews

Encyclopedias and Handbooks

Encyclopedias and 'Handbooks' offer good introductions to topics, not unlike Wikipedia, but with more authority.  Most encyclopedia and handbook entries are written by experts in the field and often include brief lists of the most important articles and books related to a topic.Surprisingly, scholarly 'handbooks' may have longer entries than encyclopedias!

• Search for online handbooks and encyclopedias by adding your own keyword to this JMU Library Catalog search
• See a list of most communication-related encyclopedias, online and print
• Connect to the Blackwell International Encyclopedia of Communication.
  
  

Some example handbooks:

• Communication yearbook (Carrier P87 .C5974) This title is indexed like a journal in Communication & Mass Media Complete, from 2003-2008, so you can also search for chapters within it. The full text is in print in the Carrier Library Stacks - these can be checked out just like books. Check LEO to see which ones are available.

• Handbook of communication science (Carrier Ref P90 .H294 1987)

• Handbook of interpersonal communication (Carrier Ref BF637 .C45 H287 2002)

• Handbook of media and communications research (Carrier P91.3 .H34 2002)

Dictionaries

Dictionaries help you learn the lingo specific to a discipline.  Just how is "discourse" different from "conversation?"  What does "semiotics" mean?

• See a list of most communication-related dictionaries, online and print

Some examples of related dictionaries:

• The A-Z of social research (Carrier Reference H62 .A9 2003)
• Dictionary of media and communication studies (Carrier Reference P87.5 .W38 2006)
• Dictionary of mass communication & media research : a guide for students, scholars, and professionals (Carrier Reference P87.5 .D449 2005)
• A dictionary of psychology (Colman) (Carrier Reference BF31 .C65 2001)
• Dictionary of the social sciences (Carrier Reference H41 .D53 2002)
  

Finding Literature Reviews

In addition to the references at the end of encyclopedias, and handbooks, you can find literature reviews in books and journal articles!

Communication & Mass Media Complete special search for literature reviews - add your own topic to this search!  It is not perfect but it is a good start.

 

PsycINFO

PsycINFO is used primarily to find scholarly, research articles and books. Plenty of literature review articles and book chapters are indexed in there, too.
To find them:

1. Type in your keywords or subject terms.
2. In the "Refine Search" tab, look for the "Methodology" limit and scroll down to choose "Literature Review"
3. Click Search.

JMU Library Catalog

Don't ignore books in the general collection as potential sources for extensive bibliographies and literature reviews.