Interpersonal Communication Research: Search Tips & Strategies

Are you starting research for a paper on relational or interpersonal communication? Here are some search tips & strategies from the Interpersonal Communication research guide.

Interpersonal communication takes many forms and occurs in many contexts. In beginning your research, plan out what aspects you are interested in.

For example, think about:

• Context: communication at work, in school, on a sports team, at a party, at home, etc.
• Type of relationship: friendship, family (spouse, sibling, parent-child), romantic relationship, etc.
• Form of communication: speech, nonverbal, writing, phone, IM, etc.
• Purpose of communication: persuasion, conflict resolution, support, information gathering, etc.
• Other influences: race, age, gender, culture, etc.
  

Be as specific as possible in formulating your search terms, covering all aspects you're interested in, but be sure to use alternative/related terms as well.