Communication Research Guide: Getting Started

Are you a new student or simply unfamiliar in doing research in the communication field? Consider checking out one or all of  the following tutorials:

• The Web vs. Library Databases – A comparison (via Yale University)
• Com201 This tutorial, using research on interpersonal communication processes as an example,  guides you through the entire process, from identifying and using databases (and reference sources) to find more information for your topic, learning about good research format, and how to accurately cite the research sources that you have found.
• Rutgers RIOT  This tutorial helps you "to learn about various aspects of the research process. The complete tutorial takes approximately 22 minutes. You can select specific modules among the following five modules : (1) Selecting a Topic, (2) Finding Sources, (3) Selecting Keywords, (4) Identifying Citations"  This tutorial is especially helpful for helping you narrow down your topic.

CQ Researcher provides weekly reports produced by the well-regarded Washington reporting service Congressional Quarterly Inc. Each 24-page report focuses on a specific topic that is perceived as being either newsworthy or an issue of broad interest in the public policy sphere. Topics include internet and social media, freedom of information, journalism and ethics, women's rights,environmentalism, and much more.