Information seeking in Communication

Information seeking is a process that goes hand in hand with the research process. A good starting point is to make an information seeking plan to help you be more systematic with information searches. Read more in Library Tutorial.

Databases

Main databases

Peer-reviewed articles are valued in all fields. They are published in academic journals. In many databases, you can limit your search results to peer-reviewed articles. This helps you choose scholarly and reliable sources. To find academic journal articles, use databases e.g.

Communications research specific databases

• Communication and Mass Media Complete - CMMC (EBSCO). The essential communication research database.
• Linguistics and Language Behavior abstracts – LLBA (CSA). An international database including applied linguistics, sociolinguistics and communication.

Multidisciplinary databases

• Scopus
• JSTOR
• You can also use JYKDOK International articles search to search all databases in one go
  • Best used to get an overview of a topic or quickly find one or two articles. For more systematic searches, use the databases above.
  • Possible to limit search results to peer-reviewed articles.
• And Google Scholar
  • Access Google Scholar via JYKDOK to get full-text access to articles
  • Keep in mind that you cannot limit search results to peer-reviewed articles.
  • You can check if an article is peer-reviewed by finding the article in JYKDOK International articles search: does it say peer-reviewed?

To access a database via JYKDOK, write the name of the database in the JYKDOK search box.

To browse databases: Browse for databases > choose Research Area: Communication > choose eg. Articles

Databases usually offer useful search options and filters like scholarly/peer-reviewed articles filter. A database may have a thesaurus or subject terms dictionary of its own that can help with search terms.

Newspapers

• PressReader, over 350 newspapers and magazines from more than 60 countries in almost 40 language.

Books

To find books, go to JYKDOK. Additionally, it can be helpful to search e-book databases separately even though the e-books are included in JYKDOK search results. E-book databases allow you to extend the search to the full-text of the book.

• E.g. E-Book Central

Finna: Books not in JYKDOK collection may be found in Finna, which is the union catalogue of Finnish libraries, museums and archives. Order books from other libraries using our interlibrary service.

Research methodology

• Sage Research Methods Online

Dictionaries, encyclopedias and subject terms

• MOT dictionaries
• International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• YSO in English
• Subject terms: CMMC Communication & Mass Media Complete -thesaurus (in the blue bar, top of page)
• International Encyclopedia of Communication
• Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Communications

Citing and managing references

• Our Zotero guide
• Citation styles
• How to cite (examples of different citation styles)

Guides and contact information

• Library Tutorial
• Teaching and guidance -pages
• Using e-books, accessing databases from home etc
• Library User's Guide
• Teaching and guidance e-mail (ask anything about information seeking, research data management, open educational resources) opetus@library.jyu.fi
• Book a guidance meeting, workshop or a consultation
• All contact information for Open Science Centre