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Research Guide - Political Science


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This online guide is developed specifically for those doing research in Political Science. It provides a recommended list of resources, which encompasses print materials, electronic databases, and selected Internet resources

All areas of political science are covered: American national, state, and local; comparative politics; international; political theory; public policy and administration; and judicial politics.

Because Political Science draws from disciplines such as history, sociology, law, psychology, area studies, and criminal justice, you may need to consult resources in those fields also.

For research help, contact Timothy A. Balch, at 304-696-2335 or by email.

Books

Use the Marshall University Libraries catalog to locate books in the libraries. The following Library of Congress Subject Headings are examples of terms that can be used with the Basic Search by Subject Heading, or the Keyword Search, to locate books in the MU libraries look for:

For additional useful subject headings for your topic, consult the following listings, available in the Reference Collection:

  • Library of Congress Subject Headings (Reference Desk).
  • PAIS Subject Headings (Ref Z695.1 .S6P27 1984). Subject headings used by the Public Affairs Information Service for indexing publications in all fields covering the making and evaluation of public policy.
  • The Contemporary Thesaurus of Social Science Terms and Synonyms (Ref Z699.5 .S6K57 1993). Over 6000 terms, synonyms, near-synonyms, and closely related terms taken from the social sciences.

Browse the shelves in these call number areas to find books devoted to areas of political science:

  • JA   Political Science (General)
  • JC   Political Theory
  • JF   Political Institutions and Public Administration; Comparative Government
  • JF1338-2112   Public Administration
  • JK   United States Political Institutions and Public Administration
  • JL   Political Institutions and Administration. Western Hemisphere
  • JN   Political Institutions and Administration. Europe
  • JQ   Political Institutions and Administration. Rest of the World
  • JS   Local Government. Municipal Government
  • JX   International Law [up to 1997]
  • JZ   International Relations [after 1997]
  • KF   Law of the United States (Federal)
  • KF379-382   Jurisprudence and Philosophy of American Law
  • KF3300-3771   Social Legislation
  • KF3941-3942   Public Safety: Weapons. Firearms. Munitions
  • KF4501-5130   Constitutional Law
  • KF9201-9461   Criminal Law
  • KF9601-9760   Criminal Procedure
  • KFW   Law of the States
  • KFW1201-1790   Law of West Virginia

For books at other libraries, search other Library catalogs over the Web. These books may be ordered from other libraries using the Information Delivery Services (IDS).

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Journal & Magazine Articles

The online databases and indexes listed here will provide references to articles (or in some cases full-text articles) in a wide range of periodicals, from news magazines and newspapers to scholarly and professional journals. If you have questions about choosing or using a database or index, please consult a Librarian

Full-Text Databases

  • Academic Search Premier
    This comprehensive database features full text for over 1,200 journals with many dating back to 1990; abstracts and indexing for over 3,000 scholarly journals; and coverage of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor. It includes coverage of over 1,700 peer-reviewed journals.

    Hint: Because of its wide coverage, Academic Search Premier is a good starting point for articles and you should begin searching there. Remember, articles that aren't available in full-text or page-image may still be available elsewhere in the Library.

  • JSTOR: the Scholarly Journal Archive
    Provides full text access to older issues of core journals, generally back to the first issue. The latest two to five years of a journal may not be available, but this is a great source for older articles not included in such indexes as Academic Search Elite.

  • Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University Press).
    Provides full text access to a variety of arts and humanities journals. Of the 78 titles available in our subscription, four are particularly useful to political science researchers: World Politics, Theory & Event, SAIS Review, and Journal of Democracy.

Indexes & Bibliographic Databases

These databases and indexes will provide citation information (author, article title, periodical name, volume & issue, date) for articles, essays, book chapters, dissertations, and other materials. You can then use that information to see if the item is in the MU Libraries by searching the library catalog, or--if the item is not owned by us--order it from another library using the Information Delivery Services (IDS).

  • CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (available in CSA Social Sciences subject area)
    A merger and extension of Political Science Abstracts and ABC POL SCI, this international database covers over 1,170 titles in political science and its complementary fields, back to 1975. Links to full text sources have been added for some titles since January 2001.

  • America: History and Life
    Good source for scholarly articles in history published since 1964. Covers articles, book and media reviews, and dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada.

  • Government Periodicals Universe
    Covers about 170 titles of substantial research value published by the U.S. government. Updated quarterly.

  • Historical Abstracts
    Good source for scholarly articles in history (other than the United States and Canada) since 1450. Published since 1954, it covers over 2,000 journals and includes citations to articles, book and media reviews, and dissertations.

  • MarciveWeb DOCS
    Index of U.S. government publications since July 1976.

  • PAIS International (OCLC Public Affairs Information Service)
    Includes over 480,000 records for periodicals, books, government publications, and other sources from 120 countries, back to 1972. Links to web resources are included. (The print version covers 1915-1997.)

  • Sociological Abstracts (available in CSA Social Sciences subject area)
    Provides abstracts and citations to articles in over 1,700 serial titles (as well as books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers) in sociology and its complementary fields, back to 1963.

Selected Periodicals

In the list below, click on the Periodical Title to see MU library holdings in all formats. Unless noted, all titles are scholarly peer-reviewed (refereed) publications.

Print Subscriptions
The following periodicals are available in print format in the MU Libraries; online access is also available in many cases. This is not an exhaustive list of journals you may find useful, just a starting point.

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Reference Sources

  • The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion Ref. BL65 .P7E53 1998
    Covers the interconnections of politics and religion. Signed articles on broad themes, and specific subjects.

  • The Statesman's Year-Book Ref. JA51 .S7
    Information on international organizations, associations, and leagues; and individual countries' politics, cultures, and economies.

  • The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Institutions Ref. JA61 .B56 1987
    Guide to central concepts and people in the study of political institutions, organizations, and movements. Includes bibliographies.

  • The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Thought Ref. JA61 .B57 1987
    Covers major ideas, leading theorists, and the historical development of thinking about politics. Includes brief bibliographies.

  • The Routledge Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Political Thinkers Ref. JA83 .R725 1998
    Brief biographies of 174 leading thinkers of this century, including major ideas and suggestions for further reading.

  • Dictionary of Geopolitics Ref. JC319 .D495 1994
    Definitions and background on terms about the geographic dimension of foreign policy and relations. Extensive bibliography of sources.

  • CQ Weekly Report Ref. JK1 .C15 and Congressional Quarterly Almanac Ref. JK1 .C66
    The primary source for what's going on in Congress. Weekly issues with an annual cummulation.

  • Congressional Quarterly's American Congressional Dictionary Ref. JK9 .K73 1993
    Brief definitions and explanations of terms in current use by the U.S. Congress, especially the legislative process.

  • Encyclopedia of the American Presidency. Ref. JK511 .E53 1994
    Multidisciplinary study, with 1,011 articles in four volumes. Includes bibliographies.

  • Congress A to Z: a Ready Reference Encyclopedia Ref. JK1067 .C67 1993
    A mix of broad overviews and more detailed articles, with tables of data and a selected bibliography.

  • Political Parties & Elections in the United States: an Encyclopedia Ref. JK2261 .P633 1991
    Includes both long survey articles and shorter ones, all with bibliographies. Good starting point for research.

  • The Book of the States Ref. JK2403 .B6
    Basic source for information on and about state governments. Statistics, comparative tables, and directories of officials.

  • Europa World Year Book Ref. JN1 .E85
    Same type of information as in the Statesman's Yearbook, but much more detailed.

  • The Municipal Year Book Ref. JS344 .C5A24
    Basic source for information on and about city and county governments. Articles, statistics, directories of officials, and reference sources.

  • The International Relations Dictionary Ref. JX1226 .P55 1988
    Arranged by subject, each entry gives a definition and its significance to the field of study.

  • West's Encyclopedia of American Law Ref. KF154 .W47 2005
    Multi-volume set with over 4,000 entries on terms, concepts, events, movements, cases, and persons significant to U.S. law.

  • Black's Law Dictionary Ref.Desk KF156 .B53 1999
    The standard dictionary for law.

  • Encyclopedia of the American Constitution Ref. KF4548 .E53 1986
    Interdisciplinary study of the Constitution. Each article is signed, and many have brief bibliographies. Index of court cases.

  • Encyclopedia of the U.S. Supreme Court Ref. KF8742 .A35E53 2001
    Articles on all aspects of the Court, important decisions, and persons connected with the Court. Includes suggested readings.

  • Political Quotations: a Collection of Notable Sayings on Politics from Antiquity through 1989 Ref. PN6084 .P6P64 1990
    Four thousand quotations on specifically political subjects, arranged by general subject headings. Indexes of keywords and author.

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Statistical Sources

  • Statistical Abstract of the United States Ref.Desk HA202 .U5
    The major source for census and other statistics. (Online version available at http://www.census.gov/statab/www/)

  • The Book of the States Ref. JK2403 .B6
    Basic source for information on and about state governments. Statistics, comparative tables, and directories of officials.

  • County and City Extra 2000: Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book Ref. Desk HA203 .C68 2000
    Statistical information for every state, county, metropolitan area, and congressional district; and cities with 1990 populations over 25,000.

  • The Municipal Year Book Ref. JS344 .C5A24
    Basic source for information on and about city and county governments: articles, statistics, directories, reference sources.

  • The Yahoo! Directory of Government Statistics
    http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/Statistics/
    Links to online statistical sources, arranged by country, including the United States

  • Statistical Resources on the Web
    http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
    Comprehensive set of links to online statistical sources. Maintained by the University of Michigan Documents Center.

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Biographical Sources

A good starting point for biographical information is the Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Ref. Z5305 .U5B56 1980), which indexes a vast assortment of sources, including general titles such as Who's Who in America, Who Was Who in America, Who's Who, Who Was Who, and the New York Times Biographical Service. More specialized resources include:

  • Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774-1971 Ref. E176 .B575
    Information on the careers of all cabinet heads, presidents, and vice-presidents. Includes short bibliographies.

  • Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978 Ref. E176 .B573;   ... 1978-1983 Ref. E176 .B5733 1985;   ... 1983-1988 Ref. E176 .B5734 1989;   ... 1988-1994 Ref. JK2447 .M86 1994
    Brief entries, with bibliographies, for all those who took the oath of office after 1789. Arranged chronologically within each state.

  • Who Was Who in American Politics Ref. E176 .M873 1974
    Very brief entries on over 4,000 past political figures.

  • The Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents: White House Biographies, 1789-2001 Ref. E176.1 .D56 12001
    Facts about their lives and terms of office, portraits, and daily life of a president.

  • Biographical Dictionary of Congressional Women Ref. JK1012 .F57 1999
    Biographies of 200 women who have served in the Congress.

  • The Justices of the United States Supreme Court, 1789-1969: their lives and major opinions Ref. KF8744 .F75
    Extensive biographies of each of the Justices, with selective bibliographies and extracts from representative judicial opinions.

  • Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989 Government Documents Ref. Y1.1/3:100-34
    Brief entries with personal and political information, with pictures. Can also be searched at http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp

  • Official Congressional Directory Government Documents Y4.P93/1:1/
    Brief entries with personal and political information, offices, and committee assignments. Also available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html for 1995 on.

  • Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1989 Government Documents Y1.1/7:101-117
    Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822-1995 Government Documents Y1.1/7:103-325
    Women in Congress, 1917-1990 Government Documents Y1.1/7:101-238
    Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993 Government Documents Y1.1/3:104-26

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Internet Resources

The Web provides a tremendous number of resources for political science research. It is essential that you use a good search engine (such as Teoma, HotBot, Alta Vista, Excite, and Google) or directory site (such as the Librarian's Index to the Internet, INFOMINE, About.com, and the Scout Report). Also, see the next section for some political science gateways. Examples of some interesting and useful web sites are:

Official web sites for the three branches of the federal government:

Official pages for major international organizations:

List of electronic discussion lists on politics and political science.

  • Images of American Political History
    http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/index.htm#top
    Searchable collection of over 500 public domain images of American political history.
  • Stateline.org
    http://www.stateline.org/
    A Project of the Pew Center on the States. Follows the development in the states of major issues on the public agenda.

Great sources for political news and rumor:

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Internet Gateways & Collections

  • APSANET: The American Political Science Association Online
    http://www.apsanet.org/
    Homepage of the main professional political science organization. Links to departments, conference papers, etc.
  • Yahoo!Government directory
    http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/
    Extensive set of links to sites related to government, including documents, embassies, international organizations, and politics.
  • Political Science Resources on the Web
    http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/polisci.html
    Excellent set of links to a wide variety of resources. Maintained by the University of Michigan Documents Center.
  • Political Science Information
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/GSSI/poliscie.html
    Gateway from the University of California at Berkeley Library.
  • Librarians' Index to the Internet: Politics
    http://lii.org/search/file/politics
    Broad set of links selected and evaluated by librarians.
  • Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources
    http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/
    Very nice site maintained by a political scientist at the Univ. of Keele (United Kingdom), with a built-in search engine.
  • PA Online
    http://bss.sfsu.edu/~mpa/paonline/paonline.htm
    Sites related to Public Administration, from the San Francisco State University MPA program.
  • Resources for Political Science
    http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/romans/polsci/
    Long set of links to a variety of resources, maintained by the library at Vanderbilt University.
  • Political Science/Law
    http://www.lib.lsu.edu/soc/polisci//
    Outstanding set of links, from the Louisiana State University Libraries.
  • Foreign Affairs Online
    http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjb3v/rjb.html
    Set of links designed to assist students and others interested in international relations, international law, and U.S. foreign policy.

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photo of Tim Balch

Prepared by Timothy A. Balch, Reference Services Librarian.

Suggestions for improvement welcomed.

Last updated 07/22/05

 

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