University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
There are two types of articles and journals you might use in communications research:
1. Popular journals and newspapers--These are written for the general public and tend to focus on current news and human interest topics.Their articles tend to be relatively short and written in an accessible tone. Examples include The New York Times, Time magazine, The Oklahoman, etc.
2. Academic journals--These articles are written by scholars (often affiliated with universities), and each is reviewed by other scholars before it is published to ensure it meets academic standards for the field. They are primarily read by other scholars and researchers. These tend to be written in a more formal tone, and they cite previous scholars' works as they build their arguments.
Many journals are published online, and most of Nash Library's journal collections are online only. You may find articles by browsing through one journal's issues or by searching through many journals at once using a database.
If you are connected to the internet on-campus, you are already logged in to all of Nash Library's online databases and journals. If you are off-campus, you will have to log in using your USAO credentials.
Databases allow you to search within a vast number of publications to find journal articles and other sources, including books, book chapters, conference proceedings, and dissertations. Because these databases are only accessible via subscription, you will find articles and other materials that you could not find using a simple Google search. To see a list of all databases, click on Databases in the light green ribbon at the top of the screen.
The following are databases particularly relevant to Communications studies:
This is a short list of some academic journals (#2 above) that focus on aspects of communications. When you click on a title, you will be taken to its entry on the A-to-Z journal title list. Some journals can be found in multiple databases, and the different databases may have different years of coverage. Click on a database name to go to the journal in that database.
To find more journals on a subject, click Journals at the top of this page; then, in the "Browse by Discipline" box, click the subject you want to study.
Announcing state of war with Germany, September 7, 1939, Acme Newspictures, Inc. photograph. Part of New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress). Reproduction number LC-USZ62-132594.
Databases include records for thousands of articles, including ones to which Nash Library does not have access. However, you can get these articles through interlibrary loan.
When you find an article you like, look for an interlibrary loan link. It will take you to the Nash Library Interlibrary Loan Form, which you can then fill out and submit. Nash Library will contact a library which has access to the journal, and that library will send Nash a copy.
