Communication Research Databases
If you need additional resources checkout the Research Guide for other subjects.
Here are a few databases to begin your research:
- Communication Source This link opens in a new windowIncludes articles from peer-reviewed journals and trade magazines covering mass media, marketing, communications, and related topics.
- ABI/INFORM CompleteArticles from leading business journals, magazines, trade publications and newspapers including the Wall Street Journal. Available through ProQuest Articles from leading business journals, magazines, trade publications and newspapers including the Wall Street Journal. Available through ProQuest
- ProQuest Research -Multiple DatabaseProQuest Multiple Databases is a multi-disciplinary index. It simultaneously searches dozens of subject areas, indexes thousands of general and scholarly titles. It is an excellent starting place for research for a paper, particularly if one isn't sure where to begin their research.
- GenderWatchGenderWatch is a full text database of publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. Subjects covered include: business, education, literature and the arts, health sciences, history, political science, public policy, sociology, gender and women's studies and more
- Women and Social Movements Library This link opens in a new windowOrganized around the history of women in social movements between 1600 and the present,
- SAGE Premier This link opens in a new windowThis resource is the largest journals package offered by SAGE. It includes international, peer-reviewed journals, including high-impact research titles published on behalf of nearly 300 scholarly and professional societies. Its interdisciplinary coverage is unparalleled, spanning subject areas including business; humanities; social sciences; science, technology, medicine; and many more.
Google Scholar
Search Google Scholar from the USC Libraries resources which includes the library proxy to access the articles.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowFiltered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
Databases
- Business Abstracts with Full Text (H.W. Wilson)Business Abstracts with Full Text™ offers a multitude of business magazines and scholarly journals: this comprehensive database contains the full text of articles from more than 510 key publications.
- Sociological AbstractsSociological Abstracts Database is a primary resource for accessing the latest research sponsored in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.
- LGBT Life with Full TextLGBT Life is the premier resource to the world's literature regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual issues. Comprehensive coverage includes traditional academic, lifestyle, and regional publications and more...
- PAIS InternationalPublic affairs database.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowA growing full text collection of core social science, humanities, and science journals and books.
- ERIC (ProQuest)The ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to education literature to augment American education by increasing and facilitating the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision-making, and research.
- PsycINFO This link opens in a new windowAbstract and citation database of scholarly literature in psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, reports, theses, and dissertations from 1806 to present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstract database of sociology and social and behavioral sciences literature from 1952 to present. Includes journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations.
- Social Sciences Citation Index This link opens in a new windowThe Social Sciences Citation Index is a multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of the social sciences. It indexes 1,700 journals spanning 50 disciplines, as well as covering individually selected, relevant items from over 3,300 of the world's leading scientific and technical journals.
- Bloomsbury Fashion Central This link opens in a new windowBloomsbury Fashion Central is a dynamic digital hub for interdisciplinary research in fashion and dress. Includes the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, an extensive E-Book collection, a vast image bank, and links to related reference resources.
- Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSubject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews.
- Gale OneFile: Pop Culture Studies This link opens in a new windowProvides access to scholarly journals and magazines that both analyze and contribute to popular culture. The database offers useful information for researchers in social science, history, art or liberal arts courses.
search tips
Once you have identified your topic, check to see if it is too specific, if it is, work toward a general focus. This will help you generate a list of keywords, or concepts related to your topic.
Keywords
Use AND, OR, NOT to connect your phrases/keywords
to locate both smartphones AND travel
to locate either word U.S. OR United States
to locate (the first word) vacation NOT trip
* truncation symbol
travel* travels, travelers, traveling, traveled
Methodologies:
- ethnography
- focus groups
- interviews
- mixed methods
- narrative analysis
- qualitative research
- quantitative data analysis
- regression
- sampling
- social network analysis
- structural equation modeling
- surveys
- time-series analysis
Types of resources
peer-reviewed
scholarly articles
magazines
trade publications
case studies
books
government reports
book chapters
reports
Sage Research Methods
- SAGE Research Methods Online and Cases This link opens in a new windowSAGE Research Methods includes books, articles, encyclopedias, and videos covering social science research design and methods including the complete Little Green Book series of Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences and the Little Blue Book series of qualitative research. Also includes case studies outlining the research methods used in real research projects.