Tips
- Untrained searchers generally get too few or too many results.
- Your success also depends on the scope of the database you use. Choose indexes specifically for communication research rather than broader multi-disciplinary databases.
- Different databases may require different phrases, keywords, or search terms. Look for a database thesaurus or subject index to find the right terms to use.
For more help with searching, check out the videos and tutorials available through the libraries.
Communication Studies Databases
- ComAbstractsA database of scholarly literature on all aspects of communication studies, including discourse, linguistics, media studies, and rhetoric.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC)A database of scholarly literature on all aspects of communication studies, including discourse, linguistics, media studies, and rhetoric.
Interdisciplinary Databases
- Abstracts in AnthropologyAll areas of anthropological scholarship and its subfields are thoroughly covered, including cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics.
- Academic Search PremierA multi-disciplinary database that covers a variety of subjects. Good place to start.
- Business Source PremierCovers most business and management topics including corporate information, communication in the workplace, marketing, and more.
- Criminal Justice AbstractsIncludes information regarding police, the military, and criminals
- ERIC - Education Resources Information CenterUse if your subject covers college students, students and teacher parental relationships, etc.
- Family and Society Studies WorldwideSubjects covered include family therapy, cross-cultural issues, minority groups, intermarriage, social policy, parenting, family relationships, foster care, and adoption.
- GenderWatchCovers topics such as women and gender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues.
- JSTORIncludes back runs of scholarly journals in a wide range of social sciences, humanities, and other disciplines.
- MedlineRelevant to the fields of medicine, nursing, and dentistry, and it also covers areas of life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering that are related to health and biomedicine.
- Project MuseProvides full text articles in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
- PsycInfoIf your topic covers the subjects of identity, emotion, relationships, etc.
- ScienceDirectEbooks and peer-reviewed journals in the areas of physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences, and humanities.
- Sociological AbstractsAbstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.
- Sports Medicine & Education IndexCovers topics ranging from physical education curricula, to sports medicine, to dance. Other coverage includes sport law, kinesiology, motor learning, recreation, standardized fitness tests, sports equipment, business and marketing, coaching and training, and sport sociology/psychology. Health education and physical therapy are also covered.
- Wiley Online LibrarySubjects covered include: business; chemistry; communications and media studies; computer science; earth and environmental science; education; engineering; law; life sciences; mathematics and statistics; medicine and healthcare; physics and astronomy; polymers and materials science; psychology; and social sciences.
- Worldwide Political Science AbstractsProvides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, sociology, economics, and public administration/policy.
- Complete List of DatabasesA searchable alphabetical list. Can also be filtered by subject or by resource type (e.g., journals, newspapers, government resources, etc.).
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