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Communication Studies: Articles & Databases

General resource for Communication Studies

Finding Articles and Databases

Articles and databases will be incredibly useful to your research at the University of Iowa. Many of our articles and databases are cataloged through InfoHawk+, but not all of them. To search databases, select your database title or subject area. Each database has a slightly different interface - don't feel like you need to be an expert at them all. Use the help/search tips and you can always ask a librarian

Finding Communication Journals

1) Click on Advanced Search in InfoHawk+

2) Select E-Journals A-Z from the top

3) Type in specific titles or communication studies to browse titles

 

Requesting Full-Text of Articles

In our databases, some articles are full text and others will only have an abstract. 

To access the full text of an article the library does not have, use Article Delivery—if we have it in print, we'll scan and send it electronically, or if not, we'll request it from another library for you.

Communication Studies - Additional Databases

Journals - A Starting Point

Communication Studies Databases - Best Bets

Creating a Search Statement

research question

1. Create a Research statement

This can be in the form of a question or a sentence. Just think about what you want to research and write it down in one sentence.

2. Identify the Keywords

Look at your research statement. What are the main words or concepts? They will likely be nouns and can include phrases. Highlight them.

3. Think of Synonyms

Look at the words/phrases you highlighted and think of synonyms or alternate phrases to describe these concepts. Scholarly articles often use words that we wouldn't use in ordinary life.

4. Search in the Databases

Pick two or three words/phrases from your list. Put each concept in its own search box.

6. Search again!

Try different combinations of words to get different results. Add more words to narrow down your results. Look at the "Subject" headings for each article to see what keywords are being used the most.

5. Use Boolean Operators 

The most common operators used in databases are AND, OR, and NOT. Make sure you separate different concepts/keywords by AND, and use OR in the same box to combine synonyms.