Communication Studies (CMST): Research Tips

This page is designed to guide you through researching Communication Studies topics. Take some time to read the text in each box and click on the links to library resources.

Please ask a librarian if you need help!

General advice for research in Communication Studies

Before you begin searching for books or journal articles on your topic, you might need to narrow your topic by considering these questions:

1. What is the focus of my research topic (communication at work, in school, in a group, one-on-one)?
2.  What is the kind of communication I am searching for (spoken, nonverbal, written)?
3.  What do I want to focus on within this subject? (persuasion, conflict resolution, support, information-gathering)?
4. What might be some other factors to keep in mind? (race, age, gender, culture)?

Why is it important to narrow my topic?

If you can answer the above questions, then you will have the keyword, concepts, or terms which you will use to search the databases.  Because there are hundreds of thousands of articles on nearly every topic, you need to be specific in your searches so that you are not bombarded with too many results.

Search these databases for background information on your topic.

Click on the links below to generate lists of Campus Library books about Communication Studies topics.

The Campus Library arranges books by Library of Congress (LC) call numbers. The major sections for books about Communication Studies are listed below. You can find these call numbers in the main stacks on the 3rd floor.

Use the link below to search thousands of Communication journals at once.

What should you do if you find an interesting article in a database but no link to the full text? Click on the purple "Check for full text" button – this button will attempt to connect you to the full text article if it is owned by the UW.