COMM 2367

A library research guide for students in COMM 2367: Persuasive Communication

Research Help

Need help finding articles or citing sources for your research project? Use the information below to connect with a reference team member (please let them know you are taking Communication 2367).

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Associate Professor, Librarian for Communication & Political Science

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Hilary Bussell
Contact:
1858 Neil Avenue
250B Thompson Library
614-292-9437
bussell.21@osu.edu

Tips for choosing a topic

  1. Choose a topic that interests you
  2. Think about aspects of your topic that would be of particular interest to your audience or the occasion
  3. Try to make your topic specific
    • Example: Instead of global warming, focus on a particular solution or cause
    • Example: Instead of addressing gun violence, examine a particular law that has contributed to or reduced gun violence
  4. If you can't think of a topic, try searching in Opposing Viewpoints or CQ Researcher. Both of these tools provide links to information about popular research topics and those in the news.

Library Resources for Background Information

Wikipedia is a popular resource for a good reason. It provides overviews of topics that are new to us and serves as a quick source of well-known information. However, like any source of information, it has its limitations that come out of its format. There are issues of both accuracy and bias in Wikipedia.

The following tools can help you gather background information from a variety of sources.

Example APA citation for an entry in an online reference source

Compensation for College Athletes. (2016). In Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale. 

Lyons, C. L. (2016, February 5). Restorative justice. CQ Researcher26, 121-144. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/

Note: If the entry does not have an author listed (as in the top example), list the title of the entry first instead. APA 6th edition states that including database URL information is not necessary, because URLs change frequently. However, you may want to include the database information if the entry is difficult to find.