LibGuides: ACRL/EBSS Library Resources for Communication Studies (LRCS): Communication Theories &amp; Research Methods

About

This guide is intended to function as an overview of the types of materials available to librarians, students, faculty and others interested in theories and research methods for communication research. It is broad in scope to incorporate as many current resources as possible.

Current Page Editor: Kristin Peace

Suggested Subject Headings

Please consult the Library of Congress subject headings for more ideas.

Databases

SAGE Research Methods Online A collection of more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher.
Communication & Mass Media Complete (fee-based) Commination and Media database offered in 2 levels Indexing for some 1,000 periodicals, including full text for over 500 titles, in areas related to communication and mass media. 1920-present.

Books

[Theory]

Encyclopedia of Communication Theory Editors: Stephen W Littlejohn & Karen A Foss Date: 2009 Publisher: SAGE
The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy Editors: Klaus Bruhn Jensen, Robert T Craig, Jefferson Pooley & Eric W Rothenbuhler Date: 2016 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Public Relations Theory III: In the Age of Publics Offers completely original material reflecting public relations as practiced today. It features contributions by leading public relations researchers from around the world who write about new developments in the field.
Theories of Human Communication (11th ed.) Authors: Stephen W Littlejohn, Karen A Foss & John G Oetzel Date: 2017 (11th ed.) Publisher: Waveland Press

[Research Methods]

Communication Research Statistics Author: John C. Reinard Date: 2007 Publisher: SAGE Publications
A Handbook of Media and Communication Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies (3rd ed.) Author: Klaus Bruhn Jensen Date: 2021 Publisher: Routledge
The Illustrated Guide to the Content Analysis Research Project Author: Patricia Swann Date: 2021 Publisher: Routledge
Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry (5th ed.) D. F. Treadwell (Author) Summary:Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry teaches students the basics of communication research. The Fifth Edition adds new pedagogical features, a new social media and big data section in each method chapter, coverage throughout of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and particularly in relation to reporting and presenting research; and references the latest research and data sources related to changes in communication brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic Publisher: SAGE, Thousand Oaks, 2024
Media and Communication Research Methods : An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Author: Arthur Asa Berger Date: 2020 (5th ed) Publisher: SAGE
Mixed Methods Perspectives on Communication and Social Media Research Reynaldo Gacho Segumpan (Editor), Joanna Soraya Abu Zahari (Editor) Summary:"Mixed Methods Perspectives on Communication and Social Media Research addresses the need for a discipline-cum-methodology-tailored book that navigates the current research spectrum of communication and social media ("CommSocMed"). Publisher: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London, 2023
Qualitative Communication Research Methods (4th ed.) Author: Thomas R Lindlof & Bryan C Taylor Date: 2019 Publisher: SAGE
Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing Communications (2nd ed.) Authors: Christine Daymon and Immy Holloway Date: 2011 Publisher: Routledge
Quantitative Research Methods for Communication: A Hands-On Approach (4th ed.) Authors: Jason S Wrench, Candice Thomas-Maddox, Virginia P Richmond & James C McCroskey Date: 2019 Publisher: Oxford University Press
Routledge Handbook of Applied Communication Research Editors: Lawrence R Frey & Kenneth N Cissna Date: 2009 Publisher: SAGE
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods Editor: Mike Allen Date: 2017 Publisher: SAGE
The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Communication: Advances in Theory, Research, and Methods (3rd ed.) Authors:Linda L. Putnam, Dennis K. Mumby Summary: The SAGE Handbook of Organizational Communication, completely reconceptualized for this Third Edition, is a landmark volume that weaves together the various threads of this interdisciplinary area of scholarship Publisher: SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, 2014
Sourcebook for Political Communication Research: Methods, Measures, and Analytical Techniques Author: Erik P Bucy & R Lance Holbert Date: 2014 Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Journals

Communication Methods and Measures
Communication Reports
Communication Research
Communication Research & Practice
Communication Research Reports
Communication Theory
Human Communication Research
International Journal of Qualitative Methods
International Journal of Social Research Methodology
International Review of Qualitative Research
Internet Research Academic
Journal of Applied Communication Research* Publishes original peer-reviewed scholarship that addresses or challenges the relation between theory and practice in understanding communication in applied contexts.
Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research
Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences
Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research
Methodology: European Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Qualitative Inquiry
Qualitative Research (QR)
Qualitative Research Reports in Communication
Review of Communication Research Open Access
Social Science Research

Measures and Instruments

APA PsycTests (fee-based) APA database that provides access to in-depth descriptions of tests and measures in psychology. In some cases the full text of the measure is also provided. When full text is not provided, information on how to obtain the measure is often available. Descriptions of tests and measures often include specifics on validity, reliability, etc.
Communication Research Measures I: A Sourcebook Authors: Rebecca B Rubin, Philip Palmgreen & Howard E Sypher Date: 2009 Publisher: Routledge
Communication Research Measures II: A Sourcebook Authors: Rebecca B Rubin, Alan M Rubin, & Elizabeth E Graham Date: 2009 Publisher: Routledge
Communication Research Measures III: A Sourcebook Author: Elizabeth E Graham and Joseph P Mazer Date: 2020 Publisher: Routledge
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) (fee-based) Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) is comprised of bibliographic information for peer-reviewed scholarly journals, books, technical reports, and test publishers' catalogs. An essential resource for researchers, students, and clinicians, HaPI covers behavioral measurement tools used across professions and disciplines, including medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, social work, communication and sociology.
Health Communication Research Measures Reports on how to measure many of the key variables in health communication such as patient-provider dyadic communication, uncertainty management, self-efficacy, disclosure, social norms, social support, risk perception, health care team performance, message design and effects, health and numerical literacy, communication satisfaction, social influence and persuasion, stigma, health campaigns, reactance, or other topics
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Subscription-based access to the largest social science data archive in the U.S.
Marketing Scales Multi-item Measures for Marketing and Consumer Insight Research (v. 12) Author: Gordon C Bruner, II Date: 2023 Publisher: GCBII Productions
The Sourcebook for Political Communication Research : Methods, Measures, and Analytical Techniques Covers the major analytical techniques used in political communication research, including surveys, experiments, content analysis, discourse analysis (focus groups and textual analysis), network and deliberation analysis, comparative study designs, statistical analysis, and measurement issues.