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 Communication & Mass Media Complete

Scope and Coverage

Saving Your Search Results

Getting Started and Searching Hints

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     Important note for getting Communication Abstract Articles

Scope and Coverage

This database originated with the acquisition and subsequent merging of two popular databases in the fields of communication and mass media studies -- CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association (NCA)), and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Pennsylvania State University). CommSearch offered bibliographic and keyword references to 26 journals in communication studies, with coverage extending to the inaugural issue of each -- some from as far back as the early decades of the 20th century. It also included cover-to-cover indices of NCA’s six journals (from their first editions to the present), and abstracts from their earliest appearance in NCA journals. Mass Media Articles Index provided citation coverage of over 40,000 articles related to mass media and published in over 60 research journals, as well as major journalism reviews, recent encyclopedias, and handbooks in the area of communications studies. EBSCO has combined the extensive coverage of these two resources, and has greatly expanded upon them (both in terms of content and scope) to create CMMC. In addition, Communication & Mass Media Complete offers full text for over 200 titles and contains citation coverage for additional sources. In total, several hundred valuable sources are covered.
Searching

Using Search Terms
Enter your search term(s) in the text box labeled "Find:" and click on Search.   The default search option is "default fields" which is a keyword search. If you use the pull down menu you will find the option to search for Subjects and a wide variety of specific field search options.

Using Browse Option
Icons for Indexes (contains subject terms and keywords from the old CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index) index buttoncan be found on the main toolbar.  The Indexes Search will search for terms alphabetically.

Additional Limits

Comm-Mass Index provides for proximity searches, which allow searching for two or more words that appear a specified number of words apart or less in the database.  The proximity operators are composed of a letter (N or W) and a number (to specify the number of words). The proximity operator is placed between the words to be searched in proximity, e.g. interpersonal W1 communication to find results that would match "interpersonal communication". 

The symbol for truncation is an asterisk (*).   Searching for journalis* will look for journalist, journalists as well as journalism.

Results
The result list shows what information has been retrieved from the database search.   Search results can be citations, document summaries, or full text (it will say HTML or PDF or Linked Full Text").  To view a summary or an abstract of the article from the search results, click on the title.

Locating Journal articles

  • Click on the Full Text Links if they are available
  • If they are not available click on the SFX link (see important exception: Communication Abstracts records)

 

Printing, E-mailing, and Saving Records
To print, e-mail, or save to a floppy disk:

  • Click on the title of the article or click the item box of each record you would like to select.
  • Click on either the PRINT, E-MAIL or SAVE button.

PLEASE NOTE: If the record says "linked full text" YOU MUST CLICK ON THE LINK TO THE FULL TEXT OF AN ARTICLE TO BE ABLE TO EMAIL IT, SAVE IT OR PRINT IT. 

Important note for getting articles from Communication Abstracts:

The most recent month of Communication Abstracts does NOT contain a reference link. You will need to read the abstract to determine the name of the journal and month the article was published!

Many records will indicate they are available from Communication Abstracts, a index owned in print by CSULB.  If you click on the SFX link it will give you information on finding the index NOT the article you are reading about. It is important that you click on the links in these records entitled "References" this will provide you the correct SFX link to find the actual article, not the entry in Communication Abstracts. Please click on these thumbnail images to view a larger image of a sample record. Place your mouse over the image to get a description of each step.

click on the title of the record for a brief display of the contents

click on the link entitled references to get to a list of the journals mentioned in the record

click on the sfx button for each individual record to find out if csulb has this journal article

the sfx box will indicate if the journal is available via the internet, in print or via interlibrary loan

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

Bonus
One of the last items in the Help Information reached through clicking on Online Help on the main search toolbar is How to Cite.  You will find examples of three of the most widely used styles for citing sources used to support research such as Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and Turabian.

Related Publications/Databases

 

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This page was created January 20, 2004 and is maintained by
Tiffini A. Travis
 Psychology & Communication Studies Librarian
University Library, California State University, Long Beach

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