Research Guide: Communication Studies
Getting Started :: Finding Books :: Finding Articles :: Journals :: Citing Sources :: Web Resources


Introduction

This page includes a general introduction to resources in Communication Studies. If you cannot find what you are looking for on this page, or if you have a specific research need in mind, please consult a Reference Librarian.

Library liaison to the Department of Communication Studies: Marcia Dinneen, Reference Librarian.
Getting Started: Selected Reference Resources

The following is a select list of some significant reference books in Communication Studies.

    Encyclopedia of Communication and Information  Ref P87.5 .E53
    International Encyclopedia of Communication  Ref P87.5 .I5
    Language and Communication  Ref P29 .F47
Finding Books in Maxwell Library
To find books, you may search Webster, our online catalog, browse our shelves for titles, or look up Recent Acquisitions in Webster.
Subject Headings
A sample of Library of Congress Subject Headings related to Communication Studies can be found below. The LC subject headings can be used when searching Webster as well as many of Maxwell Library's online databases. See Helpful Hints for Searching Webster.
 Communication  Speech 
 Motion Pictures  Journalism 
Call Numbers
Books in Communication Studies can be found under the following Library of Congress Call Numbers:
  • P-P99: Communication
  • PN1990s: Motion Pictures
  • PN2000s: Speech
  • PN4000s: Journalism
Circulating books in the P and PN call number ranges above can be found in the stacks on the Third Floor of Maxwell Library. Reference materials with these call numbers can be found in the Reference Department on the First Floor of the library.

(These suggested Library of Congress call numbers are for shelf browsing purposes only, and are by no means comprehensive.)
Finding Articles: Indexes, Abstracts, and Online Databases

Indexes and Abstracts are tools that help you locate journal, magazine and newspaper articles, and in some cases, chapters in books, conference proceedings, etc.

Maxwell Library's print indexes and abstracts are located on the First Floor; our online databases are accessible to Bridgewater State College students, faculty, and staff from any computer with Internet access (username and password required).

Off-Campus Access: If you are off-campus, you must first go to the BSC Off-Campus User Login.

TitleFormatDatesSearch Guide
Academic OneFileOnlineVariesN/A
Academic Search PremierOnlineVariesEBSCOhost Tutorial
ComAbstractsOnlineVariesN/A
Communication & Mass Media CompleteOnline1915-EBSCOhost Tutorial
Expanded Academic Index ASAPOnlineVariesN/A
Linguistics and Language Behavior AbstactsPrint1967-1996N/A
Matlon's Index to Journals in Communication Studies Through 1990PrintThrough 1990 (starting dates vary)N/A
PsycINFOOnline1887-N/A

Journals

For a complete list of journals that BSC has, both electronic and print, see the A-Z List.
Citing Sources

There are different styles of documenting sources. See How to Cite Sources. Note the APA style sheets APA Style Bibliographic Entries and MLA Style Bibliographic Entries were developed in house, especially for the BSC community, as were the Chicago and Turabian formats.
Selected Web Resources

There are a variety of good web sites that have been selected by the reference librarians and compiled into categories. Sites on film (including review) can be found in Entertaining. Sites from the Humanities are also useful.

Last Modified: November 3, 2009