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Communication (COMM) 321: Introduction to Communication Theory
Determine Source Type
For your COMM 321 Theory Paper Assignment, you are required to include a minimum of five (5) scholarly (academic) articles that
report new data/findings and utilize or apply your chosen theory.
It can often be tricky to determine if a source is scholarly (academic) or non-academic.
Use the questions below to guide you through the evaluation process and help you identify if your sources are scholarly (academic) or non-academic.
Scholarly (academic) sources, and specifically the ones you will include in your assignment for this course, must report new data/findings; these are called research articles.
A good first step to identify if an article is a research article is to read the Abstract or Summary:
- Does the author mention terms like study, observation, analysis, data, participants, etc.?
- Does the author discuss the methods used in their research?
You can also skim the headings used in the paper:
- Is there a Methods or Methodology section?
- Is there a Discussion or Results section?
Often, 'yes' answers to these questions mean you have identified a research article.
But if you do have questions please do not hesitate to contact me (Jylisa Doney) or your instructor (Jenna Currie-Mueller).
Scholarly (academic) sources are often written for an academic audience, such as students, scholars, researchers, faculty, etc.
In comparison, non-academic sources are written more for the general public.
The intended audience for a source also changes the type of language used by the author.
Scholarly (academic) sources may contain technical or discipline-specific language (such as names of theories, research methods, or jargon) and overall, the language used in the article may be much more formal.
In contrast, non-academic sources, since they are usually written for a general audience, tend to use more informal language and terms.
Many scholarly (academic) sources are also peer-reviewed.
This means that other authors or scholars in the specific field or discipline reviewed or commented on the article prior to its publication.
Peer-reviewed sources can add an extra layer of authority to the discussions and arguments in your theory paper assignment.
Databases as well as the journals' websites can help you determine if scholarly (academic) sources are peer-reviewed.
In comparison, non-academic sources are usually not peer-reviewed prior to publication, but they may be edited or proofread.
Scholarly (academic) sources are usually written by individuals who are associated with a college or university, a research organization, or a government agency.
When identifying scholarly (academic) sources for your paper, take a look at where the author works to get a better idea about:
- Who they are
- Their knowledge about the article's topic.
Search in Library Databases
Most databases require precision in the way you create your searches.
Below are the most common commands used in databases with examples of how to use them.
Use the word AND (in capital letters) to narrow your search by combining search terms.
Example : dialectics AND openness
Use the word OR (in capital letters) to expand your search. This is useful when your search term has one or more synonyms.
Example : colleague OR coworker
Use “quotation marks” to tell a database that you want to search for a phrase instead of the individual search terms.
Example : "relational dialectics"
Use an asterisk * at the end of a word to get the database to search for alternative word endings.
Example : friend* searches for friend, friends, friendly, friendship
Use (parentheses) to create more complex search strings. Parentheses group terms together.
Example : "relational dialectics" AND (colleague OR coworker)
With these basic commands, there are many possibilities to mix and match to get different results.
Example : "relational dialectics" AND friend* AND (colleague OR coworker)
Find Scholarly (Academic) Sources
The databases below were chosen because they are relevant to the communication discipline and include scholarly (academic) sources.
When searching in these databases, you can limit your results to 'Peer-Reviewed' sources as well as 'Academic Journals'.
If we don't have full-text access to a source, please use Interlibrary Loan (tutorial link) to request a free copy of the PDF.
Communication & Mass Media Complete (EBSCO)
Database containing journals and author profiles in the areas of communications, media and related disciplines.
Business Source Premier (EBSCO)
A full-text database that includes access to journals and business periodicals, economic reports, company profiles, and industry reports.
PsycArticles (Now known as APA PsycArticles) (EBSCO)
This database offers complete access to the full text of more than 90 landmark journals in behavioral science and related fields ranging from education, to nursing, to business, to neuroscience.
Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest)
Abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles, citations, book reviews, abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.
Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)
This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,500 journals, including full text from 1975-present for more than 3,700 peer-reviewed titles.
