Business Communication
The study of corporate communication, leadership messaging, and workplace communication.
Communication
The study of how we share ideas and information with each other, from everyday conversations and body language, to global media systems and digital platforms.
Overview
- Communication is the process of sharing ideas and information through words, actions, symbols, and other media so that people can understand each other within a specific situation or culture.
- Communication studies explore how messages work in everyday life, from conversations and social media to news, organizations, and public debates.
- Communication majors go on to work in a wide range of careers, such as public relations, marketing, journalism, digital media, magazines, radio and TV stations, and streaming platforms.
Communication FAQ
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about communication studies, along with links to resources that explain the discipline and what you can expect from majoring in the field.
What's communication and communication studies?
Traditionally, communication is defined as exchanging verbal, written, and nonverbal information between individuals or systems through different media.
According to Professor Jeremy Rose, author of Communication in Practice, communication is “a process in which one person with a construct in their mind uses symbols such as language to try to get another person to formulate the same construct in their mind.” Thus, communication studies is the academic field that explores how people create, share, interpret, and respond to messages in different contexts—face-to-face, in groups, through organizations, in the media, and online.
For an in-depth description of the field of communication, see the free article provided by the National Communication Association website, What's Communication?
What are the main subfields of communication?
Communication studies cover a wide range of topical areas. The following core communication subfields are commonly taught in university academic programs:
- Business Communication
- Digital and Social Media
- Health Communication
- Interpersonal Communication
- Media and Mass Communication
- Organizational Communication
- Political Communication
- Public Relations & Strategic Communication
- Rhetoric and Persuasion
What other subjects are important to communication research?
Communication is interdisciplinary, drawing ideas, theories, and research methods from many other fields to better understand how people create, share, and interpret messages. Areas of interest include psychology, sociology, political science, linguistics, business and management, cultural and gender studies, public relations, digital media, and technology.
Resources for new communication majors.
If you’re thinking about majoring in communication, these resources can provide useful background information and help guide your next steps. They explain what to expect from the major and the wide variety of career paths available to you.
- What You Need to Know About Becoming a Communication and Media Studies Major - U.S. News & World Report
- Communications - BigFuture/ College Board
Communication Subfields
Communication is a broad discipline in U.S. universities, and it’s typically taught through many subfields and areas of specialization. Listed below are guides for common core areas taught in undergraduate programs. Scroll through the listing provided or view all subfields.
Digital and Social Media
An interdisciplinary field that explores how digital technologies, social media platforms, and online networks shape human interaction.
Health Communication
The study of using communication strategies to inform, influence, and improve health-related behaviors, decisions, and policies.
Interpersonal Communication
The study of the exchange of information, thoughts, emotions, and meaning between two or more people through verbal and nonverbal communication.
Media and Mass Communication
The study of how information is created and shared with large audiences through channels like newspapers, television, and the internet, and how these media affect society.
Organizational Communication
The study of how information, messages, and meaning are created, shared, and interpreted within and between organizations.
Political Communication
The study of the intersection between political actors, individuals, groups, and institutions and the mass media.
Public Relations
The study of how organizations, businesses, and individuals manage their public image, communicate with their audiences, and influence public perception.
Rhetoric and Persuasion
The study of rhetoric examines how language and symbols are used to persuade, inform, and influence audiences.
Communication Reference
Communication reference sources provide a convenient way to locate background information for research on critical communication events, key people, concepts, or significant communication issues. This section lists major communication reference materials by type. We provide links to either the publisher’s websites or Amazon for further details and descriptions.
Bibliographies
A bibliography lists sources cited in research papers, such as books, articles, documents, websites, and other academic materials. Oxford Bibliographies is widely regarded as the leading scholarly reference source for expert-curated bibliographies across disciplines.
Oxford Bibliographies provides scholarly bibliographies in various social science disciplines, including anthropology, communication, criminology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Each bibliography provides a list of authoritative books, journal articles, websites, and other materials, all organized by academic scholars. Sources are organized thematically, including a summary and evaluation of each source and a brief description of its significance or relevance to the topic.
Dictionaries
Dictionaries are important for understanding words, concepts, and terminology. Anthropology dictionaries provide clarity when exploring complex concepts or theories, offering clear definitions of key political terms.
Encyclopedias
Subject encyclopedias are specialized reference works that provide in-depth information on specific discipline topics. Unlike general encyclopedias, which cover a wide range of topics, subject encyclopedias focus exclusively on one field, offering detailed and comprehensive entries written by experts. For a list of general and specialized encyclopedia databases, go to Getting Started—Reference Resources.
Handbooks
Handbooks provide authoritative overviews, in-depth analyses, and critical discussions of a particular academic field, discipline, or topic. Communication's interdisciplinary nature means it touches on many subject areas—media, psychology, sociology, linguistics, political science, education, and even business and technology.
Each subfield has its own handbook because the theories, methods, and key questions vary in scope. The following are important handbooks in communication. Use the filters below to find your subdiscipline's most relevant handbook(s).
Companions
Companions provide brief but comprehensive introductions to a subject. Written by experts, introductions present key ideas, theories, and debates understandably. The following books are ideal for readers new to anthropology, providing foundational knowledge without requiring prior expertise.
General Article Databases
Academic libraries subscribe to a diverse range of research databases of which EBSCO and ProQuest are two of the largest providers. Most colleges and universities offer access to one or both platforms. Here are some key insights about each:
- Both are multidisciplinary research databases covering multiple disciplines.
- Both provide access to dozens of subject databases with a single search interface, which allows users to search multiple databases simultaneously.
- Both provide a varied mix of e-books, scholarly journals, peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, magazines, images, and newspapers.
EBSCO
EBSCOhost is a major research database platform that allows users to search multiple EBSCO databases simultaneously. The difference between EBSCOhost and Academic Search is that Academic Search can be searched as part of the EBSCOhost platform or searched separately if your institution has a subscription. To check if your institution subscribes to EBSCOhost, use EBSCO’s Find your institution page.
ProQuest
ProQuest is a major database vendor and platform that provides access to hundreds of database collections. The ProQuest platform provides a multidisciplinary search with access to scholarly ebooks, journals, video and audio, newspapers, and more, all searchable simultaneously. ProQuest is unique for providing dissertations and theses, historical newspapers, and other primary sources.
Scholarly Article Databases
Scholarly research databases provide peer-reviewed academic journal articles, book reviews, and other scholarly resources authored by scholars, researchers, or academics who are experts in their fields. Unlike magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc.) focused on current events, news, and general-interest stories written by journalists, articles in scholarly journals undergo rigorous review before publication.
If your assignment requires the use of scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, here is a list of the most important multidisciplinary scholarly research databases.
If your assignment requires the use of scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, here is a list of the most important multidisciplinary scholarly research databases.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a free academic search engine that helps researchers and studentsfind scholarly literature across disciplines. It indexes journal articles, books, conference papers, theses, patents, and other resources from academic publishers, universities, and professional organizations.
- Unlike subscription databases, which publish lists of journals in their collections, Google Scholar does not provide a list of the journals, books, repositories, or conference proceedings it indexes.
- General databases such as EBSCO and ProQuest allow you to limit your results to peer-reviewed articles only. Google Scholar does not filter results for peer-reviewed articles.
- When off your school’s network, you must enable your institution’s Google Scholar library links (review process) to see full-text articles available in your institution. If Library Links are not enabled, you’ll only see paywalls, publisher links, and what’s available open-access in the public domain.
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), compiled by the British Library of Political and Economic Science at the London School of Economics, provides access to a vast collection of scholarly literature in the social sciences. Covering multiple disciplines, IBSS includes references to journal articles, books, newspapers, and dissertations, with records dating back to 1951.
JSTOR
JSTOR is an important scholarly research database for the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. It provides the full text of articles from thousands of influential academic journals. In addition to journal articles, users can access eBooks, book chapters, images, and primary source documents. JSTOR also provides an AI research tool that provides key points and arguments of articles.
JSTOR contains the full text of more than 2,000 journals from 1,000 publishers, with publication dates ranging from 1665 to 2015 (for certain titles). JSTOR also provides:
- Free access to Early Journal Content published before the last 95 years in the United States or before the last 143 years if initially published internationally.
- A collection of nearly 150 open-access journals covering the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
- JSTOR allows anyone to register for a free personal JSTOR account and provides access to 100 free monthly articles.
Project Muse
Project MUSE offers online access to a vast collection of scholarly journals, books, and academic resources in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. As a leading provider of digital humanities content, it features high-quality, peer-reviewed publications from prestigious university presses, scholarly societies, and academic publishers.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses is a database of dissertations and theses from universities worldwide. It provides access to millions of full-text works across many disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities, sciences, and business. Each dissertation includes an abstract or summary that provides a concise overview of the research, its methodology, and key findings.
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scholarly scientific database that provides journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books. It covers over 24 major subjects in the physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
Social Science Full Text
Social Sciences Full Text provides access to a wide range of scholarly literature in the social sciences. It covers many disciplines, including sociology, psychology, international relations, political science, anthropology, economics, and education.
Web of Science
Web of Science is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research and citation index that provides access to a wide range of scientific, technical, social science, and humanities research. It maintains rigorous criteria for the journals and publications it indexes, ensuring that only high-quality, peer-reviewed content is included. Web of Science includes 98 million papers dating back to 1900.
Communication Databases
Searching general databases can sometimes give you too many results. To narrow your focus, try using a database dedicated to communication research. The list below highlights the top databases for finding communication journals and articles.
Communication Abstracts
Communication Abstracts is a scholarly database that provides abstracts (summaries) of literature related to communication studies. It includes abstracts only (not full text) of journal articles, conference papers, books, and reports.
Communication Source & Mass Media Complete (EBSCO)
Communication Source and Mass Media Complete (CMMC) are two EBSCO research databases that provide comprehensive coverage of communication and mass media literature. They include access to scholarly content in communication, media studies, journalism, linguistics, rhetoric, and related disciplines. Both databases include abstracts and full-text articles from hundreds of journals and conference proceedings, including those from the International Communication Association.
The Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS)
The Communication Institute for Online Scholarship (CIOS) is an organization that provides access to ComAbstracts and ComIndex Online, an openURL-enabled bibliographic database containing articles from core communication literature. CIOS offers a variety of other resources to support communication research and education.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Data Hub
The International Telecommunication Union ITU DataHub, an open online platform that provides global statistics and data on information and communication technologies (ICTs). It collects, organizes, visualizes, and makes available hundreds of indicators that measure things like Internet access, broadband subscriptions, mobile use, ICT markets, prices, and other aspects of digital connectivity for nearly 200 economies around the world.
Communication Journals
Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is widely regarded as the leading subscription-based resource for identifying high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and assessing the impact, influence, and quality of scholarly journals across disciplines, including anthropology. To learn more about JCR and journal impact, go to Journal Databases.
Journal Citation Reports lists New Media & Society as the currently most-cited communication journal. To review the JCR list of most highly cited communication journals, go to Journal Citation Reports and choose Categories > Social Sciences, General > Anthropology. Listed below are the top ten communication journals that receive the highest number of citations from other scholars.
New Media & Society
New Media & Society examines how digital technologies, including social media platforms, algorithms, and mobile media, shape culture, politics, communication, and everyday life. Research includes communication, sociology, political science, and other related fields.
Journal of Communication
The Journal of Communication publishes influential research on how communication operates in society, across media, technology, politics, culture, and interpersonal interaction. The journal brings together scholarship from across the communication field to highlight new ideas, methods, and debates.
Information Communication Society
Information, Communication & Society examines how digital and communication technologies affect society. It publishes research on topics like media, social media, the internet, privacy, identity, and how technology shapes culture, politics, and everyday life.
Health Communication
Health Communication is a scholarly journal that publishes research on how communication affects health, including interactions between patients and caregivers, public health messaging, and health information in media and institutions.
Social Media + Society
Social Media + Society is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes research exploring how social media platforms shape and affect societies. It features interdisciplinary work on the cultural, political, psychological, historical, and social effects of social media across different contexts and time periods.
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Advertising is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research on advertising theory and practice, exploring topics such as how advertising works, its social and economic effects, and ethical and global issues in the field.
Public Opinion Quarterly
Public Opinion Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research on public opinion, including its shaping and measurement, as well as studies of attitudes, beliefs, communication, political behavior, and survey methods.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research on how social and personal bonds form, change, and influence people’s lives. It features interdisciplinary studies from psychology, communication, sociology, and related fields that examine topics like friendships, romantic relationships, family dynamics, and interpersonal communication.
International Journal of Communication
International Journal of Communication is an interdisciplinary, open-access, peer-reviewed online journal published by the University of Southern California Annenberg Press. It publishes original research on communication and media across cultural, social, and technological contexts worldwide.
Communication Research
Communication Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes studies on how communication functions, including its causes, processes, and effects across domains such as media, interpersonal interaction, health, politics, and technology.
Research Methods
Research methods are qualitative or quantitative approaches used to collect, analyze, and interpret data to answer a research question. When studying a social science, you will likely be required to take a research methods course that provides a basic introduction to principles, methods, and techniques of social science research. Listed below are resources that help you learn basic quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and various other research techniques.
Sage Research Methods is a major subscription database that guides users in understanding research methodologies across different academic disciplines. It provides electronic access to reference books, journal articles, instructional videos, and other qualitative methods resources.
Research Methods in Communication
The following books provide in-depth information on various research design concepts, methodologies, and techniques specific to communication studies.
Communication scholar Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase, "the medium is the message." His research showed that how a message is delivered often matters more than what the message says. Learn More
Source: Smithsonian Institution
