COM 225 Public Speaking

Encyclopedias, especially subject-specific encyclopedias, and general reference works are great resources when you are looking for overview information on a topic. These resources often include a list of additional sources for even more information.

Gale EBOOKS
Online collection of specialized subject encyclopedias.

For detailed information on Communication resources in ASU Library see the Communication Libguide at:  libguides.asu.edu/Communication

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
This database is especially useful if you are still deciding which topic to research. You can either browse the most popular topics from the first screen, or you can search by keyword. The most helpful feature of Opposing Viewpoints is it provides essays supporting differing points of view for each topic. All the essays are available full text.

View tutorial on using Opposing Viewpoints (4 minutes)

CQ Researcher
CQ Researcher is an excellent source for comprehensive background information current issues in the news. It is the most reliable place to find balanced, unbiased overviews. These reports are meant to educate rather than influence researchers.

This link takes you to the CQ Library, from there select CQ Researcher.

Academic Search Premier
This is a great starting place for any topic. It covers all subject areas, includes articles from both popular magazines and scholarly journals, and has loads of full text. 

View brief tutorial on searching Academic Search Premier and other EBSCO databases

Communication and Mass Media Complete

This database is a research and reference source in the fields of communication, journalism, and mass media. The database also covers some aspects of the field of advertising and related topics. The database indexes and abstracts journals and conference presentations.

For article databases on a specific discipline, consult the relevant library guide. 

ARTstor Digital Library
Comprised of digital images and related data and the tools to make active use of those images. Contains approximately 300,000 digital images of visual material from different cultures and disciplines. The collection documents artistic traditions across many times and cultures and embraces architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design as well as many other forms of visual culture.

AP Digital Photo Archive
Need images for a presentation? This contains current and historic photos from the Associated Press database of images.

Library One Search 
Retrieves citations from most, but not all of the library resources; each citation includes a link to either the online version of the item or a link to a record that indicates where a paper (or microfilm) version is located within the ASU Library. More...

Google Scholar
Google Scholar indexes items Google considers scholarly, including articles, theses, books, preprints, abstracts, conference proceedings, and technical reports. The ASU Library subscribes to the electronic version of many of these materials and may own the print copy.