Research Guides: Rhetoric and Communication: Research Resources

Rhetoric and Communication Research Resources

Communication and Mass Media Complete
The first stop in most research in rhetoric and communication. The bulk of material is post-1970, but some coverage starts in the early 20th Century.

Cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for over 390 journals, and selected coverage of 200 more. Includes full text for 285 journals.

Index to Journals in Communication Studies Through 1995 (MATLON)
Location: Reference Z5630 M37 1997
Although many journals of rhetoric and communication are now indexed online, Matlon remains the definitive index for scholarly journals pre-1990. Journals are represented as TOCs and are indexed by author and subject.

Academic Search Complete
Excellent coverage of rhetoric surrounding current events.
Nexis Uni
Includes some television and radio news transcripts.

Access to thousands of news, business, legal, and medical publications and information sources, including: newspapers, newsletters, magazines, trade journals, wire services, and broadcast transcripts. It offers some international resources in French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. The legal component of the database includes comprehensive, current legal information which consists of federal and state case law, statues, secondary sources such as law reviews, and state legal materials. Includes Shepard's Citations for all federal and states court cases back to 1789.

Encyclopedia of Rhetoric
Location: Reference PN172 .E52 2001
Contains extended entries explaining rhetorical genres and devices such as ethos, pathos, enthymeme, epideictic, credibility, and persuasion.
Sourcebook on Rhetoric
Location: Reference PN172 .J37 2001
Also good for rhetorical devices, genres, and styles. The bibliographies associated with each entry are excellent.
Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition
Location: PN172 .E53 1996
Most useful for biographies of individual rhetorical theorists and for different schools of rhetoric. Look here for Isocrates, not for JFK.
Encyclopedia of Communication and Information
Location: Reference P87.5 .E53 2001
Basic background information on communications and media. Look here for broadcasting as it affects communication. Not useful for Aristotelian rhetoric.