Why Use Encyclopedias?
Background sources like encyclopedias can provide context for your topic, or even help you choose one. They are great places to start because:
- they explain topics in simpler language than scholarly articles
- they are much shorter (often just a just a page or two, instead of the 20 pages or more found in a scholarly article or the hundreds of pages found in a book)
- they highlight important issues, figures, dates, and/or events that you may want to focus on in your paper or project
- they give you suggested sources for further research in the form of bibliographies or works cited
Online Encyclopedias
The following are recommended encyclopedias in your field. You can read them online 24/7.
Encyclopedia of JournalismCall Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2009Covers all significant dimensions of journalism, including print, broadcast, and Internet journalism; U.S. and international perspectives; history; technology; legal issues and court cases; ownership; and economics.
Encyclopedia of Communication TheoryCall Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2009Provides students and researchers with a comprehensive overview of contemporary communication theory. More than 300 entries address topics related not only to paradigms, traditions, and schools, but also metatheory, methodology, inquiry, and applications and contexts.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Semiotics, Media, and Communication by Call Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2000Semiotics, Media Studies and Communication Studies are three closely interlinked fields. Briefly stated, Semiotics, the science of signs, looks at how humans search for and construct meaning; Communication Studies is concerned with how meaning is conveyed; and Media Studies considers the ways in which messages are transmitted and received. This dictionary is designed to help students and general readers unlock the significance of the terminology and jargon commonly used in these fields.
Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key concepts in contemporary rhetorical studies by Call Number: E-BookPublication Date: 2001-01-01This book is designed to introduce readers to the language of contemporary rhetorical studies. The book format is an alphabetized glossary (with appropriate cross listings) of key terms and concepts in contemporary rhetorical studies. An introductory chapter outlines the definitional ambiguities of the central concept of rhetoric itself. The primary emphasis is on the contemporary tradition of rhetorical studies as it has emerged in the discipline of speech communication. Each entry in the glossary ranges in length from a few paragraphs to a short essay of a few pages. Where appropriate, examples are provided to further illustrate the term or concept. Each entry will be accompanied by a list of references and additional readings to direct the reader to other materials of possible interest.
Print Encyclopedias
Hutchins Library also has a large collection of print encyclopedias that you can access in person in the Reference area on the main floor.
Encyclopedia of Communication and InformationCall Number: 302.203 E56 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2002The "Encyclopedia of Communication and Information provides a comprehensive overview of universal modes of communication, the media, theories of communication and their implications, careers in communications and information, and biographies of notable figures in the field.
Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies by Call Number: 302.203 W339d (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2000This now-standard reference offers instant access to the latest information on communication and cultural theory, media policy and media practice. In addition to its usual comprehensive coverage of topics as diverse as media audiences, censorship, electronic mail, and communications models, this new edition includes a new chronology of media events, providing a guide to key moments in the development of the mass media, as well as a host of new entries.
Encyclopedia of Semiotics by Call Number: 401.4103 E56 (Location: Reference)ISBN: 0195120906Publication Date: 1998Three hundred entries by leading scholars in a variety of fields - from anthropology and literary theory to linguistics and philosophy - survey the study of signs and symbols in human culture in this new work. The articles cover key concepts, theories, theorists, schools, and issues in communications, cognition, and cultural theory. From introductions to Barthes and Bakhtin to analyses of gossip and myth, this is a valuable reference for students and scholars.
Encyclopedia of Rhetoric by Call Number: 808.003 E564 2001 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 2001Rhetoric is one of the Western world's most ancient disciplines. From ancient Greece and Rome to the modern era, the art of persuasion has been used, discussed, and debated about for over 2400 years. Scholars in such areas as philosophy, literary theory and communications have renewed their attention to rhetoric as a way of understanding many areas of culture and social life. This text is a comprehensive survey of the latest research - as well as the foundational teachings - in this broad field. Featuring 150 original, signed articles by leading scholars from many different fields of study it brings together knowledge from classics, philosophy, literature, literary theory, cultural studies, speech and communications. The Encyclopedia surveys basic concepts (speaker, style and audience); elements; genres; terms (fallacies, figures of speech); and the rhetoric of non-Western cultures and cultural movements.
Voices of Multicultural America by Call Number: 825.008 V889 (Location: Reference)Publication Date: 1996The speechs of more than 130 prominent Americans are gathered in this compilation, representing the leaders and others from four major ethnic groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native North Americans.
