Introduction to Communications (COM 111)

Welcome to the Intro to Communications Research Guide!

This guide will help you understand the value of information literacy in your education at Cairn University and beyond. You’ll learn how to identify what information you need and how to use effective search strategies to find relevant, high-quality sources.

Learners will be able to...

Explain the role and values of Information Literacy in their education

Identify their information need and utilize analytical search strategies to locate relevant resources.

What is Information Literacy?

• The ability to locate, evaluate, and use information accurately and effectively to become a lifelong learner. 

This guide is intended to help you develop your information literacy skills within the context of COM 111 and related projects. The following pages will highlight the value of information literacy and provide context for the research process. 
 

Determine Your Information Need & Identify Keywords/Search Terms

• Explore what you need and how you can find it: Start here. 

Discover Resources 

• Utilize tools to locate resources related to your topic or research question through the library and databases

Search the Library 

Search Databases

Analyzing Results

• Understand the context of the resources and the value they can add to your research: Start Here.