Research Guides: COMM 2381: Oral Communication: Home

Welcome!

This guide is designed specifically for COMM 2381 and includes databases and other research resources that cover a variety of Communications topics, as well as links to other valuable resources, aids, and guides. Use the tabs on the left to navigate the guide.

Search Almost Everything

Databases to Start Your Search

Background and Topic Introduction

CQ Press Electronic Library This link opens in a new window
Access to the CQ Researcher with reports covering current controversial topics from the news; and CQ Weekly with coverage of U.S. Congressional bills, votes, committees, etc.
Gale Ebooks This link opens in a new window
A variety of reference works on business, the environment, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, religion, science and social science.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints in Context covers current social issues, helping students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more. It includes a streamlined interface, media-rich topic pages, and curriculum-focused tools that help students explore issues from all perspectives. Resources are divided into topics which contains numerous full text pieces further categorized by the nature of their material: viewpoints (essays), reference, statistics, magazines and newspapers, images, primary documents and web sites.
World Book Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Use World Book Advanced Encyclopedia to find introductory articles covering a wide range of topics authored by experts.

News Databases

Gale OneFile News This link opens in a new window
OneFile News is a full-text newspaper database which allows users to search articles instantly by title, headline, date, newspaper section or other assigned fields. A one-stop source for the day's news and searchable archives. With OneFile News, you can search more than 1,800 titles of national, international, state and local newspapers (including Commercial Appeal 1996-2012).
NewsBank This link opens in a new window
Provides full text access to hundreds of newspapers. Also includes popular news magazines, detailed special reports on current events, and hot topics. Coverage: varies by paper.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis®—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790—with an intuitive interface that offers quick discovery across all content types, personalization features such as Alerts and saved searches and a collaborative workspace with shared folders and annotated documents.

Academic Databases

Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database with scholarly and popular content. Provides access to full-text articles in the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects. Some embargoes. Coverage: 1995- , typically, but varies by resource. Try typing your keyword into the SUBJECT GUIDE SEARCH box to see what related terms the database recommends.
Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Ultimate offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, providing users access to critical information from many sources unique to this database. In addition, it includes peer-reviewed full text for STEM research, as well as for the social sciences and humanities. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and more.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Easily access statistics and produce graphs for millions of statistics in business, entertainment, health, social sciences, and government.

Can You Trust It? Some Questions To Ask...

Alternative Facts & News Literacy
Don't believe everything that you see! Lots of #alternativefacts out there.

Even when you're reading what you think are credible sources, be sure to ask several questions about the:

Author: Who is the author? What can you learn about his/her credentials and expertise and how they relate to the topic? Has the author written much on this or other topics?
Source: In what journal/magazine/website is this published? What can you learn about the source’s history, target audience, funding, and bias? Who gets published in this source and how?
Purpose: What is the author’s goal: to persuade, inform, or entertain? How does this relate to your purpose?
Style: Is the article well-written? Is it formal or casual in tone? What types of evidence does the author offer to support his/her argument? Do they cite outside sources? Do they conduct a research study? Do they analyze textual sources?
Relevance: Does this information provide information you need as you prepare your speech?
Perspective: Does it contain opinion and obvious or explicit bias? Are diverse perspectives offered or analyzed?

Also ask yourself HOW you’ll use the source. The way you plan to use the source will help you evaluate its quality, purpose, and relevance to your project! Good speeches need background, evidence, and argument: 

Background – context and facts
Evidence – primary sources to interpret or analyze
Argument – secondary sources to affirm, refute, improve, or build on
Method – theoretical frameworks or research methods