PS 250 Public Policy ~Guide to Library Resources
starting from http://www.bsc.edu/bsclibrary 

1.  Think about what types of information and info sources you need

Ask yourself: What types of sources are key to my research?  For instance, if you are writing on the U.S. Patriot Act, you will probably want to locate the text of the act, as well as summaries of some of its key provisions.  If you are researching how we should address the federal deficit, you will want to know what the deficit is.  If you are writing on the role of the United Nations in policymaking, you should probably locate information on the U.N.'s mission and role in world politics.  Books and journal articles are generally helpful in providing contextual information and deeper analysis of issues, while newspaper and magazine articles offer descriptions of current developments.

2.  Find books using the library catalog

Books may provide you with useful information and analysis of your topic.  To locate books in our library, search the library catalog by keyword ("search everything") or subject. When you find an especially good book listed, use the "view" option to see what subject headings are assigned to it, to locate similar books. Also, check the bibliographies of useful books for additional sources.

If the BSC library does not have many books on your research topic, you can try searching WorldCat to see what is available locally (and worldwide). Use Interlibrary Loan forms if you need a book (or article) that is not available locally.

3.  Find articles using the library indexes and databases

Sample articles: in-depth analysis / news / editorial

Go to the library's indexes & databases page to search for research articles on your topic. Three indexes may be especially useful in locating scholarly analysis: Social Sciences Full Text, PAIS International, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

Social Sciences Full-Text (1983-present) indexes and abstracts articles from over 400 journals in the social sciences. It includes the full text of around 1/4 of the journals, beginning in 1995. You can perform a simple search on your topic by entering terms in the search box, or choose "search plus" to do a more sophisticated search.

PAIS International (1972-present) indexes journals, books, government publications, Internet resources, and other publications related to public affairs, from 120 countries. A companion database, PAIS Archive, extends coverage back to 1915.  A password is required to access this database; no full text is included.  

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (1975-present) indexes and abstracts articles from nearly 1500 journals  in political science and complementary fields (including public policy, international relations, and law).  It also provides links to selected websites.

The library also subscribes to a number of general indexes (such as Academic Search Elite, Lexis Nexis Academic, Expanded Academic ASAP, and Proquest Research Library) that pick up some public policy journals, and offer the full text of many articles. These general indexes cover a mixture of scholarly journals, popular magazines, and newspapers -- so be sure to decide what types of sources are appropriate to your research and evaluate them carefully.

Once you have identified some articles that sound good, you will probably notice that not all of them are available full text in the database you are searching. To see if an article is available full-text in another database, or if it's available in print or microfilm format in the Library, please consult Periodicals @ BSC on the Library home page.  And remember, if you need an article that is not available locally, you can use Interlibrary Loan.

4.  Find government sources

Government information will probably be extremely valuable for this assignment.  BSC is a federal depository and has a large collection of print documents, many of which are listed in the library catalog.  Increasingly, government documents are freely available online.  To do a general web search for federal publications, try searching via firstgov.gov  or www.google.com/unclesam.  If you are looking for  laws or other legislative information, try thomas.loc.gov or the Lexis Nexis Congressional database.  Alabama government information is readily accessible through www.alabama.gov; legislative information is available via ALISON (http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/).  International and intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization, may also produce information that is relevant to your research.  All of the major international organizations have websites, and many of them make their major publications freely available.  

For more information, check BSC's Guide to Government Information or the comprehensive University of Michigan Documents Center.

5.  Find additional online materials

"Think tanks," university research centers, and other research institutes often generate interesting and thought-provoking reports on public issues.  Prominent examples include the Brookings Institution, the Rand Corporation, the Hudson Institute, Public Agenda, Columbia's CIAO,  Policy Almanac, and - for Alabama issues - PARCA (see http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/politics/thnktank.htm  for a longer list).  A word to the wise: some organizations are more partisan than others, so evaluate policy reports carefully!  Associations Unlimited may help you quickly identify an organization's political leanings.  

Information from surveys conducted by reputable organizations is also available on the Web. You may benefit from searching the Gallup poll (at http://www.gallup.com). We also have access to data from the Roper Center through Lexis Nexis Academic (click on "Reference," then "Polls and Surveys").  Need statistical information?  Try searching Lexis Nexis Statistical or FedStats.


Remember: As you work through the research process,
please feel free to ask the library staff for help at any point.