Prepared for COAR 604: Corporate Communication September 9, 1997. Kurt W. Wagner, Reference Librarian - Instructor.

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The ability to accurately and efficiently gather library information on a subject is integral to conducting research. A "literature review" is the process by which pertinent resources are consulted and information is gathered in support of a hypothesis or in order to explore a particular subject.

The following is a set of resources, some print, some CD-ROM based, some accessible via the Internet, which should be consulted in the course of your research. A general working knowledge of the library is crucial. Please familiarize yourself with:

The Library Online Catalog

Username = ASK_Q . Using the catalog, one can look up books by title, author, subject and various types of keyword searching. OPAC terminals are located throughout the Library, and can also be accessed from any WPUNJ computer lab, or from home. Simply telnet to wpc.wpunj.edu and enter the username as above.

Books found in the Library's Reference section are still the fundamental source for information at the initial stages of research. Dictionaries, encyclopedia, directories and similar works are necessary for you to "read around" your topic, define terminology, and provide concise, factual information.

AUTHOR: Block, Eleanor S.
TITLE: Communication and the mass media : a guide to the reference literature
CALL NUMBER: P90 .B576 1991 -- Reference -- Available

AUTHOR: DeVito, Joseph A., 1938-
TITLE: The communication handbook : a dictionary
CALL NUMBER: P87.5 .D46 1986 -- Reference -- Available

AUTHOR: Smith, Bruce Lannes, 1909-
TITLE: Propaganda, communication, and public opinion; a comprehensive reference guide
CALL NUMBER: Z7204.S67S6 -- Reference -- Available

AUTHOR: Watson, James, 1936-
TITLE: A dictionary of communication and media studies
CALL NUMBER: P87.5 .W38 1989 -- Reference -- Available

TITLE: Longman dictionary of mass media & communication
CALL NUMBER: P87.5 .L66 1982 -- Reference -- Available

TITLE: Encyclopedia of rhetoric and composition : communication from ancient times to the
CALL NUMBER: PN172 .E53 1996 -- Reference -- Available

This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Check the P87.5 sections both in REFERENCE and in the main stacks for additional titles.

Some specific 'Organizational Communication' titles:

Computer-mediated communication : linguistic, social, and cross-cultural perspectives
P96.D36 C665 1996

Bantz, Charles R., Understanding organizations : interpreting organizational communication cultures
HD30.3 .B37 1993

Harris, Thomas E., Ph.D., Applied organizational communication : perspectives, principles, and pragmatics
HD30.3 .H372 1993

Mohan, Mary Leslie, Organizational communication and cultural vision:approaches for analysis
HD30.3 .M64 1993

Try creating a Title List for call number range: HK30.3. Simply choose "Find", then "Numeric", then "Call Number" and enter "HD30.3". Using this method you can "browse" for titles....

Sources for Periodical/Journal Articles

Periodical/Journal articles are going to be your main source of primary information, the results of first-hand observations or experimentation. Look for the most current work in your subject area. Most journal titles are NOT available online or via the Internet. To find articles, use the following resources, which can be found in the Library's Reference area or Electronic Resource Center:

Communication abstracts.
REFERENCE COLLECTION
1. CURRENT ISSUES RECEIVED IN PAPER - 01/01/1978 -

Comm Abstracts is the "front line" access to the journal literature of communication. No literature review is complete without a thorough consultation of this resource.

ComIndex - An electronic author and title index to the core literature of the communication discipline and communication related topics. Provides author and title searching using a desktop PC. Is a complete bibliographic information source for more than 22,400 articles from 55 key international journals and annuals from the communication field.

Sociofile - The CD-ROM equivalent of Sociological Abstracts, Sociofile provides citations and abstracts to thousands of journal articles in the Social Science related fields. Since Communication is inherently interdisciplinary, check these other CD-ROM indices for Communication studies as well:

PsycLit - Access to the literature of Psychology

ERIC - Access to the literature of Education. You can also search the ERIC database via the internet at:
AskERIC - http://ericir.sunsite.syr.edu/

Remember, you will not be getting the articles themselves from these indices. You will need to visit the Library's Periodicals Department to get them. You may check the Library's holdings of periodicals at the Online Periodicals Directory.

Perhaps the resource most familiar to students in InfoTrac. This resource is always changing and growing: now available via the World-wide Web, and featuring about 1/3 full-text. You can access InfoTrac online via any WPUNJ computer lab, the Library ERC, or using the WPcommkit -

InfoTrac Searchbank 2000.

OK. You can get some primary-type journal articles via the Internet, but you must check the print sources as well. Here are some "e-journals" that might prove useful:

The World-wide Web Virtual Library: Electronic Journals - Concentrate on "Academic and Reviewed Journals". These are considered "scholarly".

CMC Magazine - Computer Mediated Communication is a "hot topic". This is not a scholarly publication in the strictest sense, but it is well done and of high quality.

Communication Web Sites

Before we dive into the Internet, a word of caution. Web sites are NOT replacements for traditional resources. The millions of sites on the web can be a confusing and quite uncredible source of information. It helps to have a set of criteria in mind by which to evaluate resources.

Evaluating Articles and Resources - From the Library website