Welcome, COMM 4999!
This is the research guide for the Communication Research Capstone course. My name is Barbara Ghilardi and I am the research librarian leading your class session. If you need further help this semester (and beyond!) feel free to contact me at bghilardi@fairfield.edu.
Below, you will find some database suggestions (on the left) for locating scholarly journal articles to support your research paper:
Selected Databases
Use databases to find articles on your topic. These databases are the best place to start.
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Communication & Mass Media CompleteOffers full-text and indexing for journals covering communication, mass media, and other related fields.
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Academic Search PremierThis multidisciplinary database contains peer-reviewed journals, magazines, newspapers, ebooks, and videos.
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CQ ResearcherReporting and analysis of domestic and international issues in the news. Reports include background and chronology; tables and maps; and a pro-con debate.
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Global Issues in ContextProvides access to international newspapers, primary source documents, country information, statistics, background sources, and videos that support global awareness to help with understanding current world issues.
Databases for Business Topics
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ABI/INFORMComprehensive selection of key business journals, trade publications, conference proceedings, market and industry reports.
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Business Source EliteProvides access to popular and scholarly articles on a variety of business topics. Contains Harvard Business Review, American Accounting Association journals, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
Databases for Psychology
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PsycInfoProduced by the American Psychological Association (APA), PsycInfo is the definitive resource for the study of psychology and related disciplines. It includes access to journal articles, books, and more. Also includes full-text content from PsycArticles.
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Psychology DatabaseProvides access to articles in journals, magazines, dissertations, and trade publications in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and social work.
Databases for Sociology
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SocINDEX with Full TextA comprehensive collection of sociology journals covering the areas of gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, social work, and more.
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Social Science DatabaseProvides access to articles in journals and magazines in the various social science disciplines, including anthropology, economics, education, political science, social work, and sociology.
Databases for Education
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ERICProvides coverage of journal articles, conferences, meetings, government documents, dissertations, reports, books, and more in education and related fields. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
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Education DatabaseProvides access to articles in journals, magazines, dissertations, and trade publications in education and related fields.
Finding Industry Publications
Use this link to search by name for industry publications (ex. Harvard Business Review). Most publications will be available in more than one database but make sure to note the years covered as it could vary.
Evaluate Your Sources
The video below recaps the peer review process, which you are probably already familiar with. The following are additional important criteria to consider as you complete your literature reviews:
- become familiar with the major scholars working on your research topic
- keep an eye out for bias, errors, contradictions, or misinformation
- research the sponsorship of the research study
- consider intercultural, political, international, and ethnic influences or perspectives
Beyond the DNL
Can't find the book or article you want?
Try Interlibrary Loan (ILL)! With ILL, you can:
- Use materials from other libraries' collections free of charge
- Get articles via e-mail within 3-5 business days
- Get books within 2 weeks
- Be notified by e-mail when your items arrive (physical materials will be held at the Library in your name)
Request materials online:
Other options for finding books:
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WorldcatSearch this worldwide library catalog to see which libraries own a book. Once you've found the book you want, you can click on the "Get From Other Libraries (ILL)" link.
If all else fails, you can always try searching Google Books to see if you can access the partial or full text of the book you need!
Other options for finding articles:
Sometimes if the Library doesn't have the full text of an article, you can find it by searching for the article title in Google Scholar.
Google Scholar
Use Google Scholar as shown in class to locate more recent research. Paste in the title of your article in quotes and then click on the Cited By link to see all of the articles that have subsequently cited the original article. This is also a great tool to use to gauge influential an article is - how many times has it been cited?
Google Alerts are a great way to follow a company or topic. Set up one here: https://www.google.com/alerts
