Research Guides: Communication Studies: Overview

Welcome to the Communication Studies Research Guide. You will find a comprehensive range of resources to support your exploration of communications and related topics. Alongside access to scholarly journals and databases in this guide, CSM Librarians can help you throughout your research in-person, via chat, or through one-on-one appointments.

Starting Research in Communication Studies

Begin by identifying an area of interest, an area of communications, or speech topic you are interested in researching.
Do some informal background research using Google or Wikipedia if you need to understand more about a topic, and keep track of what you find.
Narrow down your topic to a specific question or issue, and isolate the major keywords of your topic or issue.
Using your keywords, try searching several different sources including the OneSearch catalog and individual databases
Consider consulting with a CSM librarian or your instructors for guidance and recommendations on relevant sources.
As you gather information, critically evaluate sources for credibility and relevance to your research topic.
Keep track of citations and take thorough notes to aid in the organization of your research findings.

Use OneSearch to Find Articles & Books

OneSearch is the CSM Library's catalog of all of print and ebooks, and millions of articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and more. OneSearch is a great place to start your search, but we recommend searching in individual databases as you proceed in your research.

Start with exploration

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Use these databases and tools to explore a variety of topics. Look for a link to "browse topics" or "View subject areas" to start exploriong.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Covers topical social issues, with viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, and links to Web sites and articles.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
In-depth reports on current social issues and problems from Congressional Quarterly.
New York Times (nytimes.com) This link opens in a new window
The New York Times online features news and information from around the world. Premium online account and mobile app access is available for CSM students, faculty, and staff. For full access to the New York Times CSM students must register for an account through one of the CSM Library websites:
- Create an account from ON-CAMPUS and follow the directions to complete your registration.
- Create an account from OFF-CAMPUS and follow the directions to complete your registration.
Watch this short video to see how to set-up and access your account. More details about NY Times personal accounts.

Databases to Get Started

Once you have an idea about what you want to research, start by searching these databases. To view a full list of CSM Library databases visit our A-Z Databases page.

Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Academic OneFile provides access to millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources in key subject areas such as biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This database offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, magazines, and news sources in many subject areas. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and much more.
All ProQuest Databases This link opens in a new window
Search all of CSM Library's ProQuest databases at once. Includes ProQuest Research Library, Diversity Database, Ebook Central, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides a full text archive of articles from scholarly journals in many disciplines (Art, Business, Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences and more), as well as access to a large images collection.

Searching OneSearch

More Ebooks

Ebook Central (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Over 140,000 easy to access online books. Browse by subjects - literature, social sciences, life sciences, engineering and technology - or use the search box.
EBSCO eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Thousands of digital books, including academic titles and popular fiction, for reading online.

Communication Studies