Communication Studies Research Tools

Not sure how to find communication journals, how to find published research related to your specific topic, what academic journals you should read? This page offers some hints that will help you develop your skills as a scholar (1). Let's start with the basics. Conducting communication studies research demands more precision than can be found in a google search (2). You must demonstrate an ability to employ research from academic journals. To that end, you’ll need several tools, including:

An SJSU library card (to get one, go to King Circulation Desk with your SJSU Tower Card)

SJSU ID and PIN number to access electronic resources from off campus (you can get your PIN at the Circulation Desk)

Specialized databases related to communication studies (start with Communication & Mass Media Complete): http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/databases/sguide_subjectList.htm?subID=16&catID=1&getType=5

Note: When using Communication & Mass Media Complete, make sure you select the "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" button under the "Limit Your Results" section.

An ILLiad account for SJSU Interlibrary Services: http://illiad.sjlibrary.org/illiad/logon.html

A PDF reader for some electronic articles you can access through ILLiad: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Citation styles related to communication studies: http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/literacy/info_comp/citing.htm

Note: in our class, we use APA 5th edition; here's a useful guide from Long Island University: http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm

When conducting research, your specific topic may be difficult to find. In response, you might try:

Researching “around” your topic: Search for related or broader topics that might shed light on your specific topic. For example, if I were struggling to find research on the television show The Family Guy, I might look for work on a similar topic like The Simpsons. As well, I might search for a broader topic like “animated television.”

Bootstrapping from a single essay: A wikipedia definition for "bootstrapping" denotes a process “where a simple system activates a more complicated system.” One "simple system" might include the references found in a single article. Bootstrapping calls for you to research several promising articles found in that one resource (the references page). In this way, bootstrapping may be called "standing on the shoulders of giants," particularly when you read what the experts read in order to develop your own expertise.

Professional writing in our field requires that you become familiar with a range of academic journals and know how to find them at our library.

To get started, visit American Rhetoric’s list of communication journals: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/communicationjournals.htm

The next step is to visit SJSU’s library website to see what journals can be access electronically: http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/ejournals/index.htm

You might also conduct a title search at the SJSU library’s online catalog: http://mill1.sjlibrary.org/search/ (note: select "title" from the pulldown menu). In some cases, you'll need to visit the physical library to access a print-only resource.

If you remain unsure about how to access a journal at the SJSU library, you might want to ask a reference librarian: http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/reference/ (Note, the reference librarian for communication studies is Susan Klingberg (email: Susan.Klingberg@sjsu.edu). She maintains a site of communication studies-related resources online: http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/databases/sguide_subjectList.htm?subID=16&getType=5

Notes

(1) This is a new document. Have you found errors or opportunities for clarification? If so, please email me at: wooda@email.sjsu.edu.

(2) While google scholar shows promise as a research tool, its reach and utility remain limited. Among its most notable deficiencies, this resource displays some articles but provides no means to download them without cost. Using our library, you can either download articles directly or employ the ILLiad feature to request that articles be sent to you. Even so, you might consider adding google scholar to your list of search resources - just don't limit yourself to this one tool.