Communication Arts

The following resources have been compiled by the librarians with specific regard to the various majors relating to Communication Arts.

Reference Books

General Communications

• Encyclopedic dictionary of semiotics, media and communications. 2000. Reference 302.2 D19e

• Encyclopedia of communication and information. 2002. Reference 302.2 En19S
  Explores the full spectrum of communication, from careers to information technologies, in an interdisciplinary fashion. Emphasis is on both historical and current issues, topics, and people.

• International encyclopedia of communications. 4 volumes. 1989. Reference 001.51 I61i

• Women in communication: A Biographical sourcebook. 1996. Reference 302.2 W87w

• Speech index: An Index to collections of world famous orations and speeches for various occasions. 1982. Reference 016.808 Su82

• International encyclopedia of linguistics. 2003. 4 volumes. Reference 410.3
  Encompasses the full range of the contemporary field of linguistics, including historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, and philosophical linguistics with special attention given to interrelations within branches of linguistics and to relations of linguistics with other disciplines. Areas of intersection with the social and behavioral sciences-ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and behavioral linguistics-receive major coverage, along with interdisciplinary work in language and literature, mathematical linguistics, computational linguistics, and applied linguistics. Articles are alphabetically arranged, each signed by the contributor, supported by up-to-date bibliographies, line drawings, maps, tables, and diagrams, and readily accessible via a system of cross-references and a detailed index and synoptic outline.

• Handbook of interpersonal communication. 1985. Main Collection 302.2 H19k
  Includes the following units: Basic Issues and Approaches; Perspectives on Inquiry; Fundamental Units; Processes and Functions; and Interpersonal Contexts. Explores key issues in the field, such as verbal and nonverbal behavior, the importance of self-reporting data, methods for studying context, and the role that social cognition plays in interpersonal transactions.

• Dictionary of symbols. 1991. Reference 302.2 L74d

• Dictionary of symbolism. 1992. Reference 302.23 B47d

Media

• Encyclopedia of media and politics. 2007. Reference 302.23 En19S

• Encyclopedia of religion, communication, and media. 2006. Ref 201 En19S
  Explores all forms of religious communication worldwide and historically, with a special emphasis on oral and written forms of communication. This A-Z organized reference work analyzes how and why the world's religions have used different means of communications.

• Webster's new world dictionary of media and communications. 1996. Reference 302.23 W42w2

• Encyclopedia of children, adolescents and the media. 2007. Reference 302.23083 En19C

• Companion to media studies. 2003. Main Collection 302.23 C73V
  Provides an overview of the theories and methodologies that have produced this most interdisciplinary of fields. Tackles a variety of central concepts and controversies, organized into six areas of study: foundations, production, media content, media audiences, effects, and futures. And includes many renowned scholars among its contributors.

• Encyclopedia of propaganda. 3 volumes. 1998. Reference 303.3 E56e

Rhetoric

• Encyclopedia of rhetoric. 2001. Reference 808.003 E56e

• Encyclopedia of rhetoric and composition: Communication from ancient times to the information age. 1996. Reference 808.003 En19E
  Presents a long-needed overview of rhetoric and its role in contemporary education and communications, discusses rhetoric's contributions to various fields, surveys the applications of this versatile discipline to the teaching of English and language arts, and illustrates its usefulness in all kinds of discourse, argument, and exchange of ideas. Alphabetically-arranged, it surveys the field, covering rhetoric's principles, concepts, applications, practical tools, and major thinkers.

Public Relations

• Encyclopedia of public relations. 2 volumes. 2005. Reference 659.2 E564e

• PR news casebook: 1000 public relations case studies. 1993. Reference 659.2 P89p

• American attitudes: Who thinks what about the issues that shape our lives. 1993. Reference 303.38 M682a

Browsing the collection can yield surprising results in the research process. For general human communications, browse the call number section 302, including all decimals. For public relations information, check out the 659 call number range. Finally, for communication systems and broadcasting try call number 384.

Finding Books

• Online Catalog
  • Find books, as well as a variety of other materials in the TU Libraries.
  • Use the Advanced search option to specify material format, campus, language, and date range.

• WorldCat
  • Listed under Essential Tools.
  • Find books, among other things, to request via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Finding Articles

• Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC)
  Provides a vast array of information in all aspects of communication and mass media.


• JSTOR
  Presents the searchable full text of the complete back files for over 100 important scholarly journals. Coverage generally includes the first volume through issues published prior to the most recent 3-5 years (current issues are not available in JSTOR).

• Project MUSE
  This collection of 400 journals represent the publications of 100 not-for-profit organizations. Every article available in Project MUSE is in full-text, meaning you will immediately be able to view, print, or save the article for later use. Main focus for Communications includes these areas: film, theater, and performing arts.


• LitFinder
  International in scope, LitFinder covers all time periods and contains a wealth of primary literature content, including more than 126,500 full-text poems, 850,000 poem citations and excerpts, 5,000 full-text short stories, 2,800 full-text essays, 1,800 full-text speeches, and 1,000 full-text plays.


• LexisNexis Academic (News section)
  An excellent source for news from around the world, though you can focus to major US national and regional papers. Use the "Natural Language" radio button to type in search phrases as you would in Google without worrying about finding the correct connecting terms.


• Newspaper Source
  Provides full-text news and/or business articles from over 100 regional US newspapers, cover-to-cover full-text of 10 international newspapers, and the full text of The Christian Science Monitor. Abstracts and indexing for the New York Times (also NYT Magazine and NYT Book Review), Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today. Includes the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.

Finding Journals

• List of Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
  Search by journal title keyword for online full-text journals, and to see what we have in print in the library.


• Click here for a Communications Subject Search in the Periodical List to find out what journals (and how many) we have available both in print and online. Click on the blue links to enter the actual list of titles. The numbers in parentheses beside the subject indicate how many journal titles are included in that subject area. This search includes all social sciences, so look for Communications and other related materials in the list.

Web Resources

• American Communication Journal
  The premier online scholarly refereed journal dedicated to the study of communication, this journal is published by the American Communication Association. Current issues and archives, back to the first volume in 1997-1998, are available in full-text HTML pages.


• Inter Press Services News Agency
  Their mission: "Since its inception, back in 1964, IPS has believed in the role of information as a precondition for lifting communities out of poverty and marginalization. This belief is reflected in our historic mission: 'giving a voice to the voiceless' - acting as a communication channel that privileges the voices and the concerns of the poorest and creates a climate of understanding, accountability and participation around development, promoting a new international information order between the South and the North."


• Library Resources for Communication Studies
  This web site is a springboard that librarians, students, and researchers can use to find information in the area of communication studies. It is not exhaustive, rather it includes the core or primary resources within each category presented. The resources included within this site were selected by communication studies librarians serving as members of the Association of College and Research Libraries Educational and Behavioral Sciences Section Communication Studies Committee. Categories of interest to students include: Associations & Organizations, Indexes & Abstracts, News Sources, Special Collections, and Subject Guides.


• The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
  An independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues, the Center's web site provides links to Survey reports, Commentaries, Datasets, and discussion of the Center in the News.


• STATS
  Includes studies on reported statistics in an effort to bring quality and reliability to journalism. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) has become a much-valued resource on the use and abuse of science and statistics in the media. Their goals are to correct scientific misinformation in the media resulting from bad science, politics, or a simple lack of information or knowledge; and to act as a resource for journalists and policy makers on major scientific issues and controversies.

Other Research Tools

• Credo Reference
  A conglomeration of specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias that allows you to search for definitions and encyclopedia articles, as well as develop ideas for expanding or refining a research strategy.

• Oxford Reference Premium Online  
  Oxford University Press produces a number of extremely useful reference materials, many of which they have made available here. You can search by keyword, but you can also choose particular subjects and from there, particular books within which to search. This willl provide you with all sorts of background and broad spectrum information on a particular topic.

• Biography Resource Center  
  Find background information about people, authors, famous personalities, and others. Search by first or last name. 

Citation Help

• Chicago manual of style, 15th ed. 2003.
  Ref 808.042 Un3c


• Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 2009.
  Ref 808.06615 Am35P (also in Main Collection)

• The Citation Style Guide is a place where you can find call numbers for print Style Manuals and Handbooks, as well as online help from several different universities around the States. Check it out and see if it helps!

• RefWorks
  is a Citation Management program. Fully available online, and linked from the Library's home page, it allows you to keep it all ELECTRONIC. Download your citations from the various databases you're using into RefWorks. This program will create the Works Cited page for you with little effort. In a database, look for the option to EXPORT - that is where you'll find this gem of a program.

• Automatically Generated Citations can be found in our Library Catalog (to the right of the item on the Results page), as well as in most EBSCO databases (like Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO, Communications and Mass Media Complete, etc.). Most databases either provide an instant citation in a couple of different styles, or they allow Exporting to RefWorks (see above). Ask a Librarian for more help in managing your citations and creating your bibliographies and works cited pages faster.

• WorldCat.org
  "Cite this item" within individual item record lists the citation in APA, MLA, Chicago and more.

• The Writing Center is also a solid resource. Available in the Library, this is run by the English department. If you'd like face-to-face help individually with citing or any aspect of writing and editing your paper, the Writing Center is the place to go. For more information, see their page on the Portal, or you can contact them at writingctr@taylor.edu.

Product descriptions on this page are incorporated from book reviews and product descriptions from various sources.

Ask-A-Librarian for more information.