COMM 330: Argumentation and Public Policy

Books (AKA academic monographs) are the other major way that scholars publish their research. In this context, they're generally considered secondary sources. It usually takes several years to write and publish an academic monograph. Some are written by one author, and others are edited volumes where each chapter is by a different author (similar to academic journal articles).

Use academic books to...

• Find overviews of theories, topics, audiences, people, and events.
• Learn how scholars apply rhetorical theories when evaluating specific policies or audiences.
• Use citations to trace back to original political artifacts or find more scholarship on the topic.

Find print books and eBooks with UMD Discover on the Libraries' website:

lib.umd.edu

Tips:

• Sign in to UMD Discover (top right) to view all results and request items.
• UMD Discover includes other content from across the Libraries' collections, like some academic journal articles and videos. However, for deeper dives on specialized topics, it's helpful to go directly into primary source and academic journal databases and archives instead.

Searching for Books in UMD Discover

Use simple keywords related to your topic to search the catalog. You can also search for titles of articles, books, or other media. For example:

rhetoric "united states" "climate change"

immigration policy

abortion feminist theory communication

education policy "united states" history

teaching to transgress bell hooks