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COM 465 (Communication Theory & Research): Finding Journal Articles

This guide provides direction for communication researchers enrolled in COM 465.

Discover a Database

Access Ryan Library databases using the links below. Log in with your PLNU username and password.

Try these options first:

From Citations to Articles

Don't Give Up!

Many articles cited in a library database or in resources like Google Scholar are available through Ryan Library, even if you can't link to them directly. 

How to search:

1. Use the Journals Directory to search for the title of the journal in which the article was published; it will list any database with complete articles from that journal.

2. Use WorldCat, the library's catalog, to search for the title of the journal; it will indicate whether our library has hard copies of the journal.

3. Use the ILLiad interlibrary loan service to place a request for articles not available through the library.

About Communication & Mass Media Complete

Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) is an EBSCO database, so it should look familiar. Combine it with other EBSCO databases, including Academic Search Premier and PsycINFO or PsycARTICLES.

What does it have?

  • Scholarly journals about communication and mass media topics
  • Full-text access to over 450 journals

TIP: Try a SUBJECT search for "qualitative research" or "quantitative research"

About ComAbstracts

ComAbstracts contains abstracts of articles and books published in the primary professional literature of the communication disciplines.

What does it have?

  • Information about articles, books, and other materials
  • Detailed search options (with automatic searching for synonyms)
  • Easy subject browsing

About PsycARTICLES & PsycINFO

These two databases are provided by the American Psychological Association.  Search them together to combine the broader coverage of PsycINFO with the full-text power of PsycARTICLES.

What do they have?

  • Extensive coverage of journals published by the APA
  • Current information and deep backfiles of historical content
  • Advanced search features to narrow results according to study sample