Beyond Google: Key Communication Databases at BC

If you're not familiar with them already, you should get to know Communication Abstracts and Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC), two key tools for doing communication research at Boston College.

Communication Abstracts provides abstracts, or summaries, of scholarly communication articles going back to 1977. It does not provide the articles themselves, but the FindIt button that appears with every abstract can lead you to the full text of the article (in another database, in the library's print collection, or, via Interlibrary Loan, from another library).
Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) indexes articles from academic journals as well as professional and trade magazines in the communication field. Complete articles are available in CMMC from approximately 200 of the 500 publications it covers. (FindIt links are available for others.)
These communication databases are by no means the only online resources for communication research. But they should definitely be on your radar as communication students.

Using RefWorks with Communication Databases

With Communication Abstracts (and other CSA Illumina databases)
1. Do your search and check off the articles you want to save.


2. Click on the RefWorks logo at the top of the list of results.


3. Click on the Export to RefWorks button.


4. Log in to your RefWorks Account.
5. Save the imported results to one of your RefWorks folders.

With Communication & Mass Media Complete
1. Do your search and click on the link that says "Add" or "Add to Folder"

.
2. After you've added one or more articles, click on the link that says "Folder Has Items"


3. Click on "Select All" or check off articles individually.

4. Click on "Export"

5. Click on the Save button
6. Log in to your RefWorks Account.
7. Save the imported results to one of your RefWorks folders.

Note: If you use RefWorks off campus you'll need the group password (in addition to your own username and password) to log in. It is available at http://www.bc.edu/refworks-code.