Welcome to the DCTC Library's Interpersonal Communication course guide. On this page you will find helpful information about the research and writing process, including links to help you evaluate and cite your sources.
The 2nd page has information about the resources in our library and how to find them using our catalog.
The 3rd page is a gateway to the Library's best online resources and web sites for this course, including some tutorials.
The 4th page features Open Educational Resources (OER) for interpersonal communication.
Let's get started!
Abraham Lincoln famously said you shouldn't believe everything you read online. And 82% of all statistics are made up.
There's a lot of misinformation out there. Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield developed the SIFT method to help students evaluate information and make better decisions about what sources to trust:
Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context
Here are more guides to help you evaluate sources of information:
- Criteria for Evaluating Information (Otis College of Art and Design)
- Evaluating Information (Johns Hopkins University)
- Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley)
- Evaluating Sources of Information (Purdue University)
- Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (YouTube)
There are different styles for citing the sources you use in your assignments, but writing for English and the humanities usually requires MLA (Modern Language Association) style. The Purdue Online Writing Lab has an excellent guide to using MLA style, with lots of examples:
You can also go straight to the source:
Our catalog and databases provide citations for the books, videos, and articles you find in them. Just look for a link that says Cite or Citation, then select MLA style. It's easy to copy and paste citations into your bibliography!
"Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials."
This definition of plagiarism comes from page 1 of DCTC's Student Code of Conduct.
Citing your sources like this or in a bibliography is an essential part of the research process. It allows others to verify your information and gives credit to previous researchers and writers for their work.
The Center for Student Success offers tutoring to all DCTC students, including help with writing your paper and citing your sources. You can schedule an appointment by calling 651-423-8420 or visiting room 2-101.
Use our catalog, OneSearch, to find the books and videos on our shelves, plus ebooks and streaming videos.
The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To narrow your results, use the Modify My Results options on the left side of the screen. You can also click on a relevant title and click on one of its subject headings to focus your search on that particular topic.
Please ask a librarian if you need help locating anything you find in our catalog.
If we don't have the book, video, or article you're looking for, you can request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) and it will come to you. It's easy! E-mail library@dctc.edu to let us know what you're looking for and we'll do the rest.
We have lots of books and videos about interpersonal communication in our collection. If you like to browse, most of these are shelved in the BF637, HF5718, HM132, and HM1106-1171 call number ranges. Ask a librarian if you need help finding anything.
Here are just a few of our books about interpersonal communication:
Behind the circulation desk we have our Course Resources collection. This includes books and videos that instructors have asked us to reserve for certain classes. Some of these can be checked out for two hours or overnight but others must be used in the Library. Ask a librarian if you're looking for one of these.
Our audiovisual collection includes lots of DVDs from The Great Courses. Effective Communication Skills consists of 24 half hour lectures on social context, communication in relationships, confrontation, gender, culture, and more. Understanding Nonverbal Communication offers 12 half hour lectures on facial expressions, vocal tones, gestures, cultural differences in nonverbal communication, and more.
Films On Demand features Introduction to Communications, a four-part video series.
- Communication Fundamentals (23:33)
- Organization and Mass Communication (33:24)
- Two-Person and Small-Group Communication (33:53)
- Verbal and Nonverbal Communication (30:09)
There's also a three-part video series on Principles of Public Speaking.
- Audience and Listening Skills (33:57)
- Delivery (33:10)
- Planning a Speech (43:24)
Other videos include:
LearningExpress Library is an outstanding resource for academic and career development with hundreds of online tutorials, practice tests, and ebooks.
The College Students center is perfect for students who want to improve their reading, grammar, and writing skills. There are also resources to help you prepare for college placement and graduate school entrance exams.
The Adult Core Skills center includes additional tutorials, practice tests, and ebooks to help adults improve their writing, speaking, and grammar skills.
There are millions of full-text articles in our EBSCO, Gale, and ProQuest databases. The best way to begin your search is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. Each database is different, but there will be ways to limit and focus your results so that you find the most relevant and useful articles available.
Our EBSCO databases are an excellent place to start your search for magazine and journal articles. One of these databases, APA PsycArticles, covers topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Our Gale databases are another great place to find magazine and journal articles. One of these databases, Gale OneFile: Psychology, covers topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Search hundreds of U.S. newspapers, newswires, and news sites with ProQuest U.S. Newsstream.
Search and explore scholarly literature with Google Scholar. Some citations include links to full-text content.
Please visit the Library or e-mail library@dctc.edu if you have any questions about our online resources or if you'd like help finding articles on your topic.
APA PsycArticles features full-text articles from more than 100 peer-reviewed psychology journals, which cover topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Searching APA Databases tutorial
Gale OneFile: Psychology offers 4.1 million articles in all fields of psychology, covering topics such as communication, relationships, and more.
Here are just a few of the ebooks about interpersonal communication you'll find in our EBSCO eBook Collection:
The Field Guide to Extraordinary Communication and Connection
Rachael Doyle, 2019
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life : Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
Marshall B. Rosenberg, 2015
Listen! The Art of Effective Communication
Dale Carnegie & Associates, 2019
It's Time to Talk (and Listen): How to Have Constructive Conversations About Race, Class, Sexuality, Ability & Gender in a Polarized World
Anatasia S. Kim, 2019
Open Educational Resources (OER) are free and openly-licensed teaching materials. These materials are easy for educators to integrate with their existing courses and reduce costs for students.
The University of Minnesota's Open Textbook Library is an example of OER. This is a collection of more than 800 textbooks on a wide variety of subjects, freely available online to view or download. Educators can even adapt a textbook for their own needs, whether that's removing chapters or adding their own content. For those who prefer print, professionally printed copies are available at a fraction of the cost of most textbooks.
Lumen Learning is another example of OER. These are whole courses including textbooks, assignments, quizzes, interactive practice, videos, and more. Lumen Learning courses are free, online, mobile-friendly, adaptable, modular, and easy to integrate within D2L Brightspace (including grading).
Here are some of the communication textbooks you'll find in the Open Textbook Library:
Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016
Intercultural Communication
Shannon Ahrndt, 2020