Communications and Cultural Studies

This image will appear throughout this guide. When you see it, click on it to seek out more information on that particular topic or concept.

Now that you're an undergraduate student at CQU, your lecturers and tutors expect you to find and use information that meets academic and professional standards. This is a skill that develops as your knowledge and experience grows.

This guide lists different kinds of resources relevant to the study of Communication and Cultural Studies, including:

• Dictionaries and encyclopedias
• Books
• Journal articles
• Websites
• Course Resources Online (CROs)
• Evaluating information
• Referencing and plagiarism

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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Dictionaries and encyclopedias can help you gain an understanding of a topic area by locating background information, definitions or explanations of words and concepts:

• Search the Library Catalogue for a dictionary or encyclopedia - use 'dictionary' or encyclopedia' as keywords.
• See our Web Reference Sources for links to more online dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Below is a list of useful reference sources for Communication or Cultural studies topics:

Commumication & Cultural Studies  dictionaries & encyclopedias
Oxford Reference Online  Access via Databases	A collection of over 100 reference works
Dictionary of media and communication studies	302.203 3/2000 - Gladstone Only
Dictionary of communication and media studies	302.03 2/1997
Australian writers' and editors' guide	428.003 4
Critical dictionary of film and television theory	791.4301 55
Dictionary of broadcast communications	384.54 4/1991
Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture	994.0049915 98

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Books

How do I find books? These pages will show you how to use the Library Catalogue to search for books held by the Library. How do I start my own search? Identifying keywords and concepts from your assignment or project topics will make your search of the Library Catalogue for books much easier.

Books are an important source of information.  Books can provide you with specific information on a particular topic as well as detailing theories and concepts fundamental to Communications and Cultural Studies.

Below are some sample subject headings which may prove useful for Communication and Cultural Studies. 

• mass media

• communication and culture

• motion pictures

• communication and technology

• oral communication

• popular culture

• culture

For further help in identifying keywords, consult the links in the boxout to the right for further assistance.

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Journal Articles

How do I find journal articles?

Journals usually focus on a very specific area of interest or research. Journals can often provide more in-depth information than books. They also offer the latest published research in a particular field.

For a list of databases relevant to Communication and Cultural Studies, check out:

• Databases & Resources by Subject: Communication
• Databases & Resources by Subject: Cultural Studies

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Websites

Successful web searching This page contains links to different search tools. Evaluating websites This page discusses the importance of evaluating a website to determine if it is suitable for inclusion in an academic assignment.  It also provides links to resources which will show you how to do this. Internet Detective This is an online tutorial which will help you develop your internet research skills. It was created by the University of Bristol and Manchester Metropolitan University. How do I find good websites?

Searching for resources on the World Wide Web can be a huge, but rewarding task.

Here are some websites you may like to begin with.

Useful websites
ABC home page	Home to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Film Commission News	The Australian Film Commission (AFC) is an Australian Government agency operating under the Commonwealth Film Program (Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) to ensure the creation, preservation and availability of Australian audiovisual content.
Australia Council	homepage of the Australia Council of the Arts, including links to arts organisations
Bright Lights Film Journal	looks at movie analysis, history and commentary
Continuum	an excellent journal on Australian media with a print equivalent
Film Australia	Film Australia is one of the nation's leading producers of television documentaries and educational programs
Jouvert:	a journal of post-colonial studies - a refereed multi-disciplinary journal
Short Wave Stations on the WWW	links to international media information
Virtual Institute of Information	a search and link network for telecommunications, cybercommunications, and mass media research.

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Course Resources Online (CROs)

Course Resources Online This page lists all of the courses with CROs. Click on the relevant course code to see what CROs are available for a particular course.

CROs are extra reading materials (book chapters, journal articles etc.) that your lecturer has asked to be made available online.

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Evaluating information

Have you considered the quality of your information?

When using information for academic study you need to be more critical of the information you find.

Given the ease with which information can be published on the internet, the task of evaluation is even more important.

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Referencing and plagiarism

CQU's referencing website What is plagiarism?

When undertaking academic research, you will draw on the ideas and works of other people.  At CQU you must acknowledge the contributions of those people by referencing the work you have used. 

Failing to acknowledge your sources is plagiarism.