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COMM 230G: Introduction to Communication Theory: About this Guide

This guide is focused on the research assignment for COMM 230G.

This guide is intended to help students with their research paper assignment in COMM 230G Introduction to Communication Theory courses. Review the assignment prompt and basic guidelines below and then use the other pages of this guide to help you find sources related to your topic and theory.

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Research Paper Assignment - Guidelines & Reminders

For your research paper, you will:

Connect a communication theory with a particular communication phenomenon, artifact, or event (such as a movie, book, television show, website, company, speech, or historical event).

Some source guidelines:

As part of your research, you will need to use scholarly journal articles and other academic research sources to support the ideas you present about your theory and phenomenon/artifact/event. Your assignment may also ask you to include a primary source (an article or book written by the theorist who created the communication theory you are using). All of your sources should be documented and cited in APA citation format. 

Librarian advice:

It's unlikely you'll find a source that covers both a theory and your artifact. You may have more success if you search for each separately.

Review the assignment's full details in your Blackboard course site or as provided by your professor to make sure you aren't missing any other important pieces of it. 

Interlibrary Loan - An Option When The Library Doesn't Have A Book or Article That You Want

You may discover a book that would be useful for your topic and research, only to find that the library does not have it in our collection. Or an article that we don't have full-text access to through our databases. If that happens, you can submit an interlibrary loan request, and we will see if another library has the item and is willing to share it with us (and you). Plan ahead, as interlibrary loan items may take up to two weeks to arrive. Work with a librarian if you need help identifying books or articles to interlibrary loan or need other assistance with your request.  

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Guide Reviewed on February 20th, 2024 by Diane Hahn