NOTE:
Off-campus access
to article databases listed in this guide is limited to WSU students,
staff, and faculty and requires a WSU ID number. If you have questions,
chat with us online. Just click on the Online Assistance button
at the top right of this page. Or call the Reference Desk 626-6415
or toll free 1-877-306-3140
"We
listen in order to learn and retain information. If we are speaking,
we are not listening or learning anything to add to our sum of knowledge.
This is why the first step to effective listening is to stop talking!"
— Ken Fracaro (Source: www.listen.org)
Using
Catalogs: Use the WSU online
catalog to find the location and availability of books and
other media in Stewart Library. Books which may be checked out are
part of the General Collection located on the library's upper level.
The magazines and journals to which the library subscribes are also
listed in the catalog. Use Ejournals
to see if a particular magazine or journal is available full text
electronically.
Interlibrary Loan:
If we do not own a particular book or article you need,
we will borrow it for you from another library through Interlibrary
Loan .
Reference resources include
encyclopedias, dictionaries and other materials you use to "refer"
to. Use these resources for background information on a topic. Reference
books must be used in the library and are located on the library's
middle level. Use the library catalog and limit your search to "Reference
collection" to find books on your topic. If you don't find
anything, think of a broader term or ask the staff at the Reference
desk for assistance. The following reference books may be
helpful. Use the index in each to find relevant articles.
- Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science Reference BF 311
.E53
- Encyclopedia of Communication and Information Reference
P 87.5 .E53
Article databases
To find articles on your
topic use article databases, also known as periodical indexes.
Stewart Library databases are arranged by broad subject categories.
Select the category most relevant to your topic. Search by subject
or keyword in these indexes. Most databases are available
from off-campus using your WSU ID number. Start at
Database Finder.
Some databases offer full text articles. For those that give only
the citation or abstract, use Ejournals
to see if a particular magazine or journal is available full text
electronically. Interlibrary Loan: If we do not
own a particular book or article you need, we will borrow it for
you from another library through Interlibrary
Loan.
- Academic
Search Premier Offers full text articles from
over 8000 scholarly journals in most subject areas. Has feature
to limit searches to peer reviewed or refereed (scholarly) journals.
- Business
Source Premier Good for articles about listening
in the workplace setting
- ComAbstracts/ComIndex/CIOS
A database devoted to articles and links to
web sites on the broad topic of communication. Stewart Library's
most comprehensive index on the topic of communication.
- Communication
and Mass Media Complete The best starting place
for articles from communication journals
- Education
Full Text Abstracts and some fulltext
- ERIC
This national clearinghouse for research in the broad field of
education indexes both ERIC documents and journal articles. ERIC
documents (studies, reports, etc) may be found fulltext on microfiche
in the Stewart Library. Those published since 1993 are fulltext
online. Ebsco
also makes ERIC available from Stewart Library.
- PsycInfo
The premier database for articles in the broad subject area of
psychology. Some fulltext articles.
Print Resources
- Index to Journals
in Communication Studies Through 1990 Classic print index
by Matlon and Ortiz indexes about 20 journals from 1915 through
1990. Reference P87 .I53
Web
Resources
Research
Tips
- Clearly identify your information need
- Identify key words and search
terms to match your topic
- Develop search statements using advanced
search techniques
- Boolean logic, adjacency searching and truncation
- Use the online
catalog to find books
- Use article databases
to find journal and magazine articles
- Use Ejournals
to determine if Stewart Library subscribes to the full text of
a particular journal
- Use Interlibrary loan
to get materials that are not in Stewart Library
- Carefully
evaluate the information you find for usefulness and quality
- Revise your search terms and strategy to expand or narrow your
results.
- Use appropriate style to document
and cite research
- Ask for assistance at Reference,
via phone, chat, or email.