Skip to Main Content

Open Educational Resources: Communication

Open educational and open source resources

Attention Communication Educators: Unsure where to start? Let the librarians help. 

Complete the OER Search Request form and we'll start searching for you!

Search OER collections

Communication Studies

OER Commons

College-level materials on a variety of communication topics.

MERLOT

Includes materials on interpersonal communication as well as business communication.

Open Textbook Library

Freely available textbooks on a range of communication topics.

Broadcasting/Journalism

OER Commons

Broadcasting / Journalism

Open Textbook Library -

Journalism, Media Studies & Communication

University of Oxford Podcasts

Journalism lectures and podcasts

Open Resources by Format

OER texts by discipline

Media Studies 101 

Media Studies 101 is an open educational resource for media studies in New Zealand, Australia, and Pacifica.

Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication

According to the author, the world did not need another introductory text in mass communication. But the world did need another kind of introductory text in mass communication, and that is how Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication was birthed.

Exploring Public Speaking, 3rd Edition

By Kris Barton & Barbara G. Tucker

In fifteen chapters the authors have attempted to address all the major concerns, issues, and material that an introductory, freshmen-level public speaking course involves. Beginning with the value of public speaking to one’s life and overcoming public speaking anxiety, the subsequent chapters cover listening and audience analysis; plagiarism and ethics; invention and thesis development; research; organization; introductions, conclusions, and transitions.

Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Edition

By Barbara Tucker & Matthew LeHew

Exploring Public Speaking is a usable, zero-cost textbook for basic public speaking courses or courses that include basic public speaking skills as one of their primary learning outcomes. The free, open nature of the text means that instructors are able to use all or part of it, and add their own materials. Standout features include coverage of PowerPoint, audience analysis and responsiveness, ethics in public speaking, persuasion, special occasion speeches, and structure of speeches.

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice & Ethics of Public Speaking

Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking features two key themes. First it focuses on helping students become more seasoned and polished public speakers, and second is its emphasis on ethics in communication.

Introduction to Public Communication

Introduction to Public Communication is an open textbook created specifically for Indiana State University's COMM 101 course. A guiding team of Communication instructors compiled content from other open sources, and wrote original content to complete this text.

Principles of Public Speaking

The course is an introduction to the preparation and delivery of oral presentations in an extemporaneous style. Emphasis is on ethical research, critical and logical analysis, and organization of informative and persuasive presentations.

Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy

Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy is a contemporary, interdisciplinary public speaking textbook that fuses rhetoric, critical/cultural studies, and performance to offer an up-to-date resource for students. With a focus on advocacy, this textbook invites students to consider public speaking as a political, purposeful form of information-sharing.

Exploring Movie Construction & Production (Open Textbook Library)

Media Studies 101 (Open Textbook Library)

Understanding Media and Culture (Open Textbook Library)

Video Production - CTE Online Model

Exploring Movie Construction & Production: What’s so exciting about movies?

Exploring Movie Construction & Production contains eight chapters of the major areas of film construction and production. The discussion covers theme, genre, narrative structure, character portrayal, story, plot, directing style, cinematography, and editing.

The Open Video Project

The purpose of the Open Video Project is to collect and make available a repository of digitized video content for the digital video, multimedia retrieval, digital library, and other research communities. Researchers can use the video to study a wide range of problems, such as tests of algorithms for automatic segmentation, summarization, and creation of surrogates.

National Film Preservation Project

The National Film Preservation Foundation is the nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America's film heritage. The films found at this link are freely viewable and may include additional materials like essays.

Film Aesthetics (Open Course)

This open set of course materials for Film Aesthetics is a downloadable version of a course created for a learning management system. Included are learning modules and a quiz bank based on introductory film concepts.

Tools for Podcasting by Jill Olmstead

Welcome! If you’re interested in learning about the growing universe of podcasting, how it works and finding tools and inspiration to create your own podcast, this online resource is for you. My focus is on audio podcasting and this practical guide will help you navigate the technology and best practices in an easy-to-understand handbook.

Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive: A digital literacy guide for the information age

PDF file of textbook by Mark Briggs, Assistant Managing Editor for Interactive News, The News Tribune. Includes chapters on RSS, Web 2.0, blogging, podcasting, and video and photo editing.

Be Credible by Peter Bobkowski, Karna Younger

The primary audience for this book starts with students in Journalism 302: Infomania, a course we teach at the University of Kansas.

Launch! Advertising and Promotion in Real Time by Solomon; Michael R. Solomon; Lisa Duke Cornell; Amit Nizan

Launch! Advertising and Promotion is written for advertising and promotion courses taught to students in the business school and journalism & mass communication students. This textbook is the first of its kind to teach advertising concepts by reverse engineering a real advertising campaign from beginning to end.

Writing for Electronic Media by Brian Champagne

People’s viewing habits are changing as they migrate to mobile sources, social media, and kitten videos. Television News is still a dominant #1 source, and radio is still the safest way to stay informed in your car. Hopefully, you already have some journalism background. This book’s goal is to teach how to present the journalism you already know via electronic media, primarily television.

Story-Based Inquiry -UNESCO

The publication focuses on the hypothesis-based inquiry approach, which takes the basic assumption that a story is only a hypothesis until verified. The methods and skills applying to every step of the investigative process, from conception to research, writing, quality control and dissemination, have been thoroughly analyzed and are well illustrated by case studies in each chapter.  -Story-Based Inquiry

Supplemental Text:  Casebook

Online Journalism: Research Methods

This text is intended to be an introduction to journalism research methods. It covers topics such as, Typology of Online Media, Genres in Online Journalism, News and Database Architecture, Research Methodologies in Journalism, Narrativity, Researching Participatory Journalism, Production Routines, and Media Convergence

Global Investigative Journalism: Strategies for Support

Fueled by globalization, international aid, and the efforts of journalism groups, the worldwide practice of investigative reporting has grown dramatically since the fall of communism began in 1989.

Verification Handbook  -European Journalism Centre

The Verification Handbook is a groundbreaking new resource for journalists and aid responders, which provides step-by-step guidelines for using user-generated content (UGC) during emergencies. In a crisis situation, social networks are overloaded with situational updates, calls for relief, reports of new developments, and rescue information.

Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This is the first edition of a modular open textbook designed for entrepreneurial journalism, media innovation, and related courses. An accompanying handbook will include additional activities, ancillary materials and faculty resources on media innovation for instructors.

Writing for Strategic Communication Industries

Good writing skills are important in today's competitive work environment. This is especially the case for communication-related professions such as public relations, brand communication, journalism, and marketing. Writing for Strategic Communication Industries emphasizes practical application of academic inquiry to help readers improve their writing skills.

Data Journalism Handbook 

This book is intended to be a useful resource for anyone who thinks that they might be interested in becoming a data journalist, or in dabbling in data journalism.

Journalism, 'Fake News' and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education 

The current handbook seeks to serve as an internationally-relevant model curriculum, open to adoption or adaptation, which responds to the emerging global problem of disinformation that confronts societies in general, and journalism in particular.

Information Strategies for Communicators

Management Communication

Public Relations

Writing for Strategic Communication Industries

Introduction to Professional Communications

Professional Communications OER

Business Communication for Success 

Business English for Success 

Communication for Business Professionals – Canadian Edition 

Management Communication

COMM411: Public Relations

This course will help prepare you to conduct public relations suitable for small start-up businesses, international companies, political campaigns, social programs, personal development, and other outreach projects. There are many tools useful to effective public relations. As we review the components of a public relations campaign, you will learn how to prepare the key materials that will help you get the job done.

Writing for Strategic Communication Industries

Good writing skills are important in today's competitive work environment. This is especially the case for communication-related professions such as public relations, brand communication, journalism, and marketing. Writing for Strategic Communication Industries emphasizes practical application of academic inquiry to help readers improve their writing skills.

Be Credible: Information Literacy for Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing Students

Multimedia Resources