Use these tools to find the original sources of communication theories. Choose the tool that matches your source type—articles, books, or chapters—and check the author, title, year, and edition.
If you have a journal citation, start here.
Search for journals by title or subject and see which ones the library has. Check volume, issue, and year to find the original article.
Best place to search for articles in communication and media studies.
Use it to find original articles where a theory was first published (if in a communication journal) or to explore related research.
Covers psychology and social science research.
Use it if your theory has roots in psychology, behavior, or interpersonal communication (many foundational communication theories appear here).
Use it for this class when…
You already have a citation → paste it in to try to find the original article or book.
You want to see how a theory has been cited later → click “Cited by” to follow the trail.
👉 Set up Library Links (Settings → Library Links → add Hiram College) to connect to full text.
Broad, multidisciplinary database.
Use it if you want to cast a wide net or if you can’t find your theory source in the communication or psychology databases.
