Research Guides: Communication and Media: Background Info (Reference Materials)

Reference Sources - Communications and Media Studies

Sage Video: Media, Communication and Cultural Studies
This internationally diverse collection of 134 hours and over 500 videos offers academic viewpoints and real-life insights into practices directly applicable to Communication and Media Studies courses. Top Hollywood producer Martin Cohen discusses film production; further contributors also include Sonia Livingstone on New Media, Joe Turow on Advertising, Barbara Zelizer on Journalism, and Stuart Hall on Representation
International Encyclopedia of Communication
Useful for topics in communication studies, sociology, psychology, information science, public policy and linguistics, among others.
Oxford Bibliographies Online
Combining elements of encyclopedias and annotated bibliographies, OBO entries are good overviews of research on many topics. Browse the larger subject categories of Communication, along with Cinema and Media Studies.
International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy
International Encyclopedia of Media Effects
International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology (2020)
International Encyclopedia of Media Studies (2013)
Seven volume work addresses research methods, audience, media effects, history, production and the future of media studies.
International Encyclopedia of Political Communication
Explores pertinent/salient topics within political science, sociology, psychology, communication and many other disciplines, including: election campaigns, media and journalism, media effects, political actors, institutions, organizations, political attitudes, opinions, emotions, behaviors, political communication theory and philosophy, political discourse, political issues, and research methods.
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Includes entries on the media and communication: media formats, history, effects, social implications, journalism, political communication, etc.
Communication, Film and Mass Media online reference collection
Includes reference works relevant to communications, cinema and media studies, advertising, public opinion, journalism and mass media.
Communciation Research: Strategies and Sources
Shapiro Undergraduate Library P 91.3 .R831 2005
Communication Yearbook
Hatcher Graduate Library, Volumes 1-19; P 87 .C728
Shapiro Undergraduate Library, P 87 .C728; 1982-
Dictionary of media and communication studies
Online, 9th edition (2015). Definitions of important terms and concepts, from framing to media ethics to textual analysis.
Encyclopedia of Journalism
"This encyclopedia surveys the state of journalism at the end of the twenty-first century's first decade...The focus of the entries is on the gathering, editing, reporting, and distribution of news. As will be evident, our emphasis is on American media and practice, with some reference to other nations."
Encyclopedia of Political Communication
Includes concepts from communication, political science, journalism, sociology, psychology, history and rhetoric, encompassing the many different roles that communication plays in political processes in the United States and around the world. 2008
Encyclopedia of Television (Museum of Broadcast Communications)
Includes more than 1,000 original essays examining specific programs and people, historic moments and trends, major policy disputes and such topics as violence, tabloid television and the quiz show scandal.
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications (2003)
"Exhaustively explores the ways that editorial content--from journalism and scholarship to films and infomercials--is developed, presented, stored, analyzed, and regulated around the world." Lengthy entries on media history and background for countries around the world.
Routledge Handbooks - Communication and Media
Provide an overview of classic and current research and future trends in media and communication, while at the same time providing an authoritative guide to theory and method, the key sub-disciplines, and the primary debates of today.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication
World Radio History online library
Online archive of radio and broadcasting industry history, trade publications, directories and periodicals. Full-text scans (PDFs) included.
SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods (2017)

Broadcast and Periodicals Directories

Directories are good for finding basic facts and statistics about broadcasters, stations, channels, and periodicals - how many there are, locations, histories, where they are published, ownership, circulation rates, periodical titles by subject or geography (for example: African-American newspapers published in Texas).

Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory (online--includes current year)
Provides bibliographic and publisher information on more than 300,000 periodicals of all types–-academic and scholarly journals, Open Access publications, refereed (i.e. peer-reviewed) titles, popular magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and more--from around the world.

Media Intelligence Center
From the Audit Bureau of Circulations, provides circulation statistics for several thousand US and Canadian newspapers and periodical publications. Reports include statistics on paid and non-paid subscriptions, including digital subscriptions, home delivery and single-copy sales and are in PDF format. Yearly audit reports also include geographic breakdowns of circulation and some demographic information on readership. Search by title, periodical classification, market area, or circulation size. Use the Rapid Report on the Reports & Tools to quickly see circulation statistics for an individual issue of a publication or to compare stats for multiple issues. Rapid Reports can be downloaded as PDF or Excel files.

Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Most recent 5 editions are available online; look up publications by name and find current circulation statistics, contact info, ad rates, publication frequency, subject area. For trends over longer time periods, consult the print (Z 6951 .A97) This directory is the current iteration of Ayer's (below).
Ayer Directory of Publications
Now known as the Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media (above), we have this resource in print as well as recent years online. First published in 1880, it was also known in later years as the IMS/Ayer Directory of publications. Useful for finding statistics on historical publications, and publications over time. Prior to Ayer's, previously known as Rowell's American Newspaper Directory (1869-1880). Call number Z 6951 .A97

Willing's Press Guide
Call Number: Z 6956 .G7 W7

Directory info of worldwide media, including UK, Ireland and Europe. Goes back over a century.

TV Dimensions
Print copies; annual publication since 2005. "covers all aspects of TV’s performance that’s of interest to advertisers, ad agencies and TV time sellers. In addition to the basics like growth in penetration, rise of alternative forms of TV, time spent, reach and frequency patterns, CPMs, etc., it covers audience engagement, viewer attentiveness, cross platform comparisons, evidence of ad impact, and more."
Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook
Annual print publication through 2010. Lists radio and tv broadcast stations by city/state, frequency, programming, etc. Prior to 1993, published as Broadcasting Yearbook. Online archive of this publication is found through World Radio History website: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Broadcasting-Yearbook.htm
World Radio History online library
Online archive of radio and broadcasting industry history, trade publications, directories and periodicals. Full-text scans (PDFs) included.

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2025 3:04 PM

Subjects: News & Current Events, Social Sciences

Tags: communications, health communications, journalism, mass media, media, movies, television, tv