Welcome
This research guide is designed for students doing research US politics and government. If you run into any obstacles, don't hesitate to contact me at tedforrl@wfu.edu. Some general searching tips are below! ~ Rosalind Tedford
PRO TIPS:
- When searching for multiple-word phrases, putting them in quotation marks really helps you get better results! (i.e. "Gun control" "United States")
- When you use an * at the end of a root word, you get all possible endings to that word - i.e. econom* gives you results with economy, economic, and economics.
Government Agency Sites
- A-Z Index of US Federal Departments and AgenciesOften the best place to get primary source material from the US Government Agencies is from their web sites.
US Statistical Sources
- Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new windowAuthoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. Coverage: 1878-
- Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new windowContains historical data from American History. Demographics, social characteristics, crime, education, health and more are all cross-searchable. Coverage: Colonial period-present
- Voting and Elections This link opens in a new windowContains in-depth data about U.S. Presidential, Congressional, and Gubernatorial campaigns and elections, historical and modern. Data export tools allow for customized data downloads for statistical analysis. Also includes information about voter demographics and political parties. Coverage: 1789-2012
- SAGE Data This link opens in a new windowWith SAGE Data (formerly called Data Planet), you can scan and search the contents of billions of datasets, compare and contrast variables of interest, and create customized views in tables, maps, rankings, and charts. Views also include descriptive summaries of the datasets and data sources. Coverage: Details not available
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new windowA U.S. national data and mapping tool and analytics platform with multidisciplinary applications related to social sciences, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community and economic development, public administration, public health, policy and political science, education, business, economics, statistics, and geography, among others.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowProvides data, statistics, and reports on many topics including media, business, politics, society, technology and education. Add-ons include: Consumer Insights, providing increased data and analytics on consumer attitudes and behavior worldwide and eCommerce Insights, providing increased data and analytics on the eCommerce landscape including customer behavior and digital market insights.
Getting Started with Background Sources
Before getting started with research, it is a good idea to start with some background and context to the issues you are investigating. The sources below will help you get to that information quickly.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowContains reports and analysis on issues in the news including health, social trends and issues, criminal justice, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Great resource for background information on current news, hot topics, and social issues. Coverage back to 1923. Coverage: 1991-
- CQ Press Library This link opens in a new windowSearch across CQ Press content including: Congress Collection, CQ Almanac, CQ Magazine, Encyclopedia of American Government, Politics in America, Public Affairs Collection, Supreme Court Collection, Voting and Elections Collection, Political Handbook of the World, and Supreme Court Compendium. Coverage: 1983-
Multi-Book Background Databases
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes a topic finder for help with narrowing or broadening your research topic. Coverage: varies
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other referece works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes subject trees, pro/con resources, links to scholarly articles and more.
Finding Books
Use the main ZSR search to search Primo to locate books and other materials in Reynolds Library. To find books on US Policy Issues, search on the policy and "United States"
Scholarly Journal Articles
These databases (listed in the order of likelihood they will be useful to you) will get you to news and scholarly journal articles on American government, public policy, and history. Be sure to include 'United States' as a search term as many of them are international in scope.
- ProQuest Political Science Database This link opens in a new windowContains hundreds of leading political science and international relations journals, full-text doctoral dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, country profiles, political news and other sources. This link cross searches ProQuest Political Science Database, PAIS Index, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage: 1985-
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles about the history and culure of the United States and Canada. Publications include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, dissertations, books, and more. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Note: For world history topics, use the Historical Abstracts database. Coverage: 1964-
- ProQuest Military Database This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text titles on military issues from around the world, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, government publications, and more. Coverage: 1987-
- Military and Government Collection This link opens in a new windowProvides full text from military and general interest publications including government offices, journals, think tanks and more. Designed to bring current news to all branches of the military. Coverage: 1985-
Primary Sources in Current American Politics
Congressional Sources
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowAll things Congress- full text of: federal bills and laws (1776-present); voting records (1987-present); U.S. Serial Set and American State Papers (1817-present); published and unpublished Congressional hearings from (1824 to present); Congressional Record (1873-present) and its predecessor publications (1789-1873); Congressional Research Service reports (1916-present). Coverage: 1789-present
- Legislative Insight This link opens in a new windowLegislative histories, including complete text of enacted laws and the full text of associated congressional documents (Congressional Record excerpts, committee hearings, etc.). Coverage: 1929-2012
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowProvides hundreds of millions of pages of law and law-adjacent periodicals, essential government documents (federal, state, and international), international resources, case law, and more. Coverage: 1776-
Executive Branch Sources
- ProQuest Executive Branch Documents 1789-1952 This link opens in a new windowContains documents produced by US executive branch departments, agencies, and commissions from 1789 - 1952. Coverage: 1789-1952
- American Presidency ProjectFull text of a wide variety of presidential documents including speeches, letters, radio addresses, press releases and more.
- FBI Records: The VaultContains declassified FBI records of surveillance activities. Includes records relating to labor and civil rights organizations, organized crime, and other groups and individuals the FBI has monitored over time.
- A-Z Index of US Federal Departments and AgenciesOften the best place to get primary source material from the US Government Agencies is from their web sites.
Judicial Sources
- U.S. Supreme Court Library (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new windowContains comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Reports, an indexed compilation of the official full text of all decisions of the Supreme Court and the official record of its rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings. Also includes books, periodicals, CRS reports, rules of the Court, and court history.
State and Local Government Resources
- North American City Reports This link opens in a new windowContains the full text of surveys, budgets, statistical records, case studies, planning documents, training manuals, policy guidelines, reports, and news from the five hundred largest cities in North America. It also includes select materials from hundreds of related agencies and non-governmental organizations.
- National Conference of State Legislatures Policy ResearchNCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation.
- State Constitutions This link opens in a new windowContains a collection of the constitutions of the 50 states of the United States with related documents and resources. Contains the text of every constitution with the original, consolidated and current texts and an collection of documents from before statehood.
Search Across Multiple NGOs and IGOs
Use these links to search across multiple NGO, IGO, Think Tank and Research Organizations.
- NGO Custom Google SearchSearch across hundreds of known non-governmental organizations at once.
- IGO Custom Google SearchSearch across dozens of known intergovernmental organizations at once.
- Think Tank Custom SearchA Google Custom Search of more than 1200 think tanks and research centers.
- Columbia International Affairs Online - CIAO This link opens in a new windowA source for NGO, IGO, ThinkTank, research institute, and grey literature on politics, international affairs, security studies, global finance, diplomatic practice, humanitarian law, global governance, development studies, and environmental studies. Contains working papers, research reports, proceedings, and more. Coverage: 1991-
