Research Guides: COMM218 Williams: Culture-related search tools

Scholarly articles

Useful search terms in CCC Library databases

Use these search term (keyword) ideas to start your searches.

communication AND culture
"interpersonal communication" AND [location]
cross-cultural communication
intercultural communication
social expectations
sociolinguists
collaboration culture

"masculine culture" OR "feminine culture"
attitudes AND culture
"decision making"
non-verbal communication
cultural humility
cultural chauvinism
cultural awareness

The sample search (below) found me over 800 academic journal article results in Diversity Studies Collection.

Communications and Mass Media (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Academic journals and magazines focused on all aspects of the communications field. Topics include advertising and public relations, linguistics, literature and writing, and more.
Diversity Studies (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Full-text scholarly journal and magazine articles exploring global cultural differences and influences related to gender, ethnicity, and race.
Gender Studies This link opens in a new window
Gale database. Provides scholarly journal and magazine articles on the disciplines of gender and queer studies, family and marital issues, and more.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Magazine, trade journal, newspaper, and peer-reviewed journal articles on a wide range of subjects and is good for research on almost every topic. Most articles are available in full-text. It’s a great place to look for scholarly resources when you’re not sure where to start.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar is not a CCC Library database. It is a special Google search engine that looks for scholarly material indexed online (books, articles, dissertations). Full text links are included if available, but you may hit a paywall. To get the free full text of Google Scholar articles emailed to you, submit an interlibrary loan request to CCC Library.
How to search Google Scholar

Book chapters

Search in CCC Library's catalog for print and eBooks. Books have chapters on cross-cultural communication and culturally-specific communication styles. Use the search terms and catalog-searching tricks listed below to get started.

CCC Library catalog
Search CCC Library's print collection. Use the call number to find the item on the shelf!

Get started with a solid search in the CCC Library Catalog.

After you go into the CCC Library Catalog, select the Advanced Search link to the right of the search box.
First line: Change the first dropdown menu from "Any field" to "Subject"
First line: Change the second dropdown menu from "Contains" to "contains exact phrase"
First line: Type in any of the following subject phrases (double check your spelling, they must be exact)
1. interpersonal communication
2. intercultural communication
3. interpersonal relations
4. Internet -- Social aspects
5. Sociolinguists
Second line: Type in any other words you want to have show up in your search (e.g., gender, Latin America, neurodiversity, humor, etc.)
Select Search
Use the filters on the left-hand side of the results page to further refine your search results.

Encyclopedia articles

eBooks and Encyclopedias (Gale) This link opens in a new window
eBooks and Encyclopedias (Gale) contains full text online reference books on the subjects of art, business, education, environment, history, medicine, multicultural studies, religion, science, and social science. eBooks and Encyclopedias (Gale) is a great place to start your research - it is the academic version of Wikipedia!
How to search eBooks and Encyclopedias (Gale)

Useful encyclopedias in GVRL

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) offers encyclopedia articles that can give you background and overview articles on many topics. Remember, in COMM218 online dictionaries and encyclopedias may be used but do not count as scholarly sources.

Gender: Sources, Perspectives, and Methodologies
Social Skills
Encyclopedia of Small Business
Race and Ethnicity in Digital Culture

Websites and organizations

TED Talks: Communication
A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Communication.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue - Resources
The Center for Intercultural Dialogue (an global communication association based in DC) provides guides to multiple types of resources related to intercultural dialogue. Includes blogs, podcasts, and articles.

COMM218 students: please let your instructor know what your go-to online sources are for learning about interpersonal communication. Jane the Librarian will add them to this list.

Streaming videos

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films on Demand (FoD) offers thousands of streaming videos online - it’s like an academic version of Netflix! Subjects include art, biology, careers & job searching, criminal justice, CTE, history, mathematics, science, technology, and world languages.
Academic Video Online (AVON) by Alexander Street Press This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive streaming video library that offers coverage of academic subjects (business, counseling, mental health, nursing, film, music, education, dentistry, and history, to name a few) to our Films on Demand subscription.