Communication Theories
What are some communication theories?
Books
These books are available for check-out.
A First Look at Communication Theory (5th ed.) P90 .G725 2003
Clarifying Communication Theories: A Hands-On Approach P90 .S8176 1999
Communicating Across Cultures HF5549.5 .C6 G84 1999 Communication Theories in Action : an Introduction P90 .W619 2000
Communication Theories : Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts P90 .M479 2002
Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Relations BF637 .N66 R53 2000
Nonverbal Communication; Notes on the Visual Perception of Human Relations P90 .R8
Theories of Human Communication (7th ed.) P90 .L48 2002 Check the book index or table of contents to determine if your specific theory is included.
Reference Books
These books are in the 3rd floor reference area and must be used in the library.
Encyclopedia of Psychology, 8 vols. REF BF31 .E52 2000 Handbook of Interpersonal Communication REF BF637 .C45 H287 2002
International Encyclopedia of Communications, 4 vols. REF P87.5 .I5 1989
Note: Use indexes in final volume of each set.
Library Catalog Search
Try these keywords to search for additional books. You can use theor* in your query to find both theory and theories.
communication theory
communication-philosophy
interpersonal communication
interpersonal communication theory
interpersonal communication research
speech communication
Journals
These journals are displayed in alphabetical order in the periodicals section on 2nd floor.
Communication Quarterly (current 5 years)
Communication Research Reports (current 5 years)
Online Books through NetLibrary
NetLibrary is listed in the online databases, or you may access it at Netlibrary.** You may preview these books, and then check them out for 24 hours.
Developing Communication Theories
Emerging Theories of Human Communication
Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Contexts, & Challenges
Interpersonal Communication Research
**To access netLibrary from off campus, you must first create a netLibrary account from an on campus computer.
Online Databases
You can locate these by clicking “article databases” on the library web page.
Communication & Mass Media Complete-subject specific; many full-text
Academic Search Premier-general resource for journal articles; many full-text
ProQuest- general resource for journal articles; many full-text
Database searching can be more specific than catalog terms. Try the following as keywords:
Name of theory. First, omit the word theory. Then, add it only if initial search results bring up too many unrelated articles.
Example: cognitive dissonance (narrow: cognitive dissonance theory)
Example: social judgment (narrow: social judgment theory)
Name of person. Use the name of the author connected with the theory.
Example: Delia, Jesse
Example: Sherif, Muzafer
Combine terms with and.
Example: delia and cognitive and dissonance
Example: sherif and social and judgment
Example: hierarchy and needs and Maslow
Search Strategy
- Check full-text box.
Enter search terms suggested above as keywords.
- If there are not enough articles, trying unchecking the full-text box to get citations. Then, see whether we subscribe to the journal by looking at the Periodical Holdings List.
- Check scholarly journals box. Compare to results obtained without checking this box.
- If results not focused enough, add “and communication” to the search terms.
- If there are alternate terms for the theory, try several different searches using alternate terms. Alternate terms may appear as hot links on articles you locate.
Created by Karen Parker
Need Help??
If you need additional help, please feel free to contact a librarian during open hours.
