LibGuides: CO 225-04/07/08: Business & Professional Communication: Books

Conducting Research

See the Library's Guide to the Research Process for tips on conducting research, from selecting a topic to writing your paper.

Why Should I Use Reference Resources?

Beginning your research with reference resources helps you discover background information like terminology, central figures and dates and an overview of existing literature on your topic. Look for:

Definitions of key terms
Historical context
Biographical information
Critical interpretation of texts
Bibliographies detailing relevant scholarship

General Business Communication

Business Communication by Caroline L. Bloomfield; Irene R. Fairley
Call Number: HF5718 .C453 2006b
ISBN: 0155056689
Communicate with Confidence! by Dianna Booher
Call Number: HF 5178 B654 1994
ISBN: 007006606X
Communication Skills by Thomas Cheesebro; Francisco Rios; Linda O'Connor
Call Number: HF5718 .C453 2006b
ISBN: 0132327961
The Listening Leader by Richard M. Harris
Call Number: HD30.3 .H3718 2006
ISBN: 0275989836

Finding Books at the MU Library

Use the MU Catalog to locate books for your research.

Use Keyword to search the entire record for the terms you enter. Use quotation marks when entering a phrase, e.g. "seltzer water." Research topics should be searched by Keyword to maximize the number of references to a topic.
For Title searches, omit "The" at the beginning.
For Author searches, use last name first.
Another way to locate books and ebooks is to browse by Subject. (This strategy is especially useful if you are having trouble narrowing your topic.) Click the Subject link for any book to see more materials on that subject.
Use Advanced Search to limit your search by date or location.
Click the Map It button to see your book's shelf location.

For more help, see the MU Catalog Tutorial.

Why Use Books in Library Research?

Books can be very useful at the beginning of your project when you're doing background or in-depth research on a topic:

Reference books can help with definitions, pronunciation, basic facts
Include detailed information on a topic as well as related issues
Provide overview and background
May include an index with quick access to key people, places, dates
Academic books rigorously researched and vetted

Searching With Subject Headings

Once you find a book on your topic, be sure to look at the book's subject heading. Clicking on this heading will take you to other books on your topic.