Doing Political Science Research
Political Science 235

Political Science Research Guide	Library Web Site
Academic Resource Center	Ask a Librarian

How to Find:
Books | Journal Articles | Web Sites | Citing Sources

FINDING BOOKS ABOUT POLITICS

Using Catalogs to locate books:

1.) Ariadne

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number

2.) MeLCat

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• About MeLCat

3.) WestCat - Western Michigan's catalog

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Browse the shelves by Call Number
• Waldo Library: Hours and How to get to Western

4.) WorldCat and 5.) Interlibrary Loan

• Search by Keyword
• Find and Use Subject Headings
• Order item through Interlibrary Loan
  ($1 per filled request waived during Library Renovation)

See the Political Science Research Guide on Finding Books.

Using Subject Headings

Search by Keyword and look for Subject Headings in individual records.
To modify a search:

• Use words from the Subject Heading in a Keyword search
• Click on the Subject Heading itself

  Examples of Subject Headings:

• Political Science
• Political Science--United States
• Political Science--Research
• Political Science --Methodology
• Elections
• Geopolitics
• Public Administration
• World Politics
• Women in Politics

Understanding Call Numbers

Call numbers often signify what books are about. Therefore, books on similar topics will be shelved together. For example:

Background Sources

Research Guides and Handbooks

• The craft of political research (Stacks / Upper Level JA71 .S45 1998)
• Experimental foundations of political science (Stacks / Upper Level JA73 .E87 1993)
• Handbook of political science research on Latin America : trends from the 1960s to the 1990s (Ref. JA84.L3 H36 1990)
• Handbook of political science research on the Middle East and North Africa (Ref. JQ1758.A58 H36 1998)
• Handbook of political science research on sub-Saharan Africa : trends from the 1960s to the 1990s (Ref. JA84.A337 H36 1992)
• Handbook of political science research on the USSR and Eastern Europe : trends from the 1950s to the 1990s (Ref. JN6524 .H36 1992)
• A new handbook of political science (Ref. JA66 .N49 1996)
• Political science research methods (Stacks / Upper Level JA73 .J64 2001)
• Political science : illustrated search strategy and sources : with an introduction to legal research for undergraduates (Ref. JA73 .L6)
• Theory and methods in political science (Stacks / Upper Level JA71 .T497 1995)

General Resources

• Area handbook series (various call numbers) Also online: memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
• Background notes (Ref. JN1 .D4) Also online: www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/
• CIA World Factbook (Ref. G122 .W67) Also online: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
• Encyclopedia of American parties, campaigns, and elections (Ref. JK9 .B56 1999)
• The encyclopedia of American political history (Ref. E183 .E48 2001)
• Encyclopedia of American political reform (Ref. E839.5 .C57 1996)
• Encyclopedia of minorities in American politics (Ref. E184.A1 E574 2000)
• Encyclopedia of religion in American politics (Ref. BL2525 .E52 1999)
• Encyclopedia of women in American politics (Ref. HQ1236.5.U6 E53 1999)
• How government works : selections from the Encyclopedia of the United States Congress, the Encyclopedia of the American presidency, the Encyclopedia of the American judicial system (Ref. JK271 .H74 1999)
• International conflict : a chronological encyclopedia of conflicts and their management, 1945-1995 (Ref. D842 .B46 1997)
• Who's who in American politics (Ref. E176 .W6424)
• Who's who in European politics (Ref. D1070 .W49)
• World encyclopedia of parliaments and legislatures (Ref. JF511 .W67 1998)

Statistics

• CQ's state fact finder 1998: Rankings across America (Ref. HA214 .H6 1998)
• Finding statistics online: How to locate the elusive numbers you need (Ref. HA33.5 .B47 1998)
• Government information on the Internet (Ref. ZA5075 .N69 1998)
• Growing up in America: An atlas of youth in the USA (Ref. HB1323.C52 U658 1998)
• Handbook of international trade and development statistics (Ref. HF1016 .U54)
• Health statistics: An annotated bibliographic guide to information resources (Ref. RA407.3 .H4 1997)
• Little data book (Ref. HC59.69 .L57 2000)
• Statistical handbook on adolescents in America (Ref. HQ796 .S8237 1996)
• Statistical handbook on aging Americans (Ref. HQ1064.U5 S343 1994)
• A Statistical portrait of the United States: Social conditions and trends (Ref. HA214 .S84 1998
• Statistical record of Black America (Ref. E185 .S7 1995)
• Statistical record of children (Ref. HQ767.8 .S73)
• Statistical record of health & medicine (Ref. RA407.3 .S83 1995)
• Statistical record of Native North Americans (Ref. E98.P76 S73 1993)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development handbook of statistics (Ref. HF1016 .U64 2000)
• Using government information sources: Electronic and print (Ref. J83 .S4 2001)
• World development indicators 1999 (Ref. HC59.7 .W67 1999)
• The world's women, 2000 : trends and statistics (Ref. HQ1154 .W675 2000)

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES ABOUT POLITICS

See How to Find Journal Articles and the Political Science Research Guide on Finding Articles.
List of Political Science Journals in Kalamazoo College Library

Sources for Citations and Articles

Print and Online Indexes

Print and online indexes will lead you to article citations that include author, article title, journal title, volume number, publication date, and page number information about the article. Citations do not include the entire article. You must locate the journal once you have a citation.

Use the indexes below, or see the Political Science Research Guide: Using Indexes and Databases to help select an index.

America: History and Life < about >

EconLit < about >

Historical Abstracts < about >

PAIS International < about >

Social Sciences Abstracts < about >

Wilson Business Abstracts < about >

Full-Text Online Resources

Full text online resources include citation information as well as the article itself.

Electronic Journal Finder
Off-Campus Access to Licensed Resources

Databases:

LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe < about >
Includes the New York Times (Final New York City Edition) full text from June 1, 1980 through current; abstracts from January 1, 1969 - May 31, 1980.
Also includes some full text of the Wall Street Journal, Times and Sunday Times (London), and The Washington Post.

Proquest < about >

General Reference Center Gold < about >

Wilson Select Full Text < about >

Academic Press Freedom Collection < about >

Online Full Text Journals:

JSTOR < about >
Some of the Political Science titles in JSTOR:
American Journal of Political Science (1973-2000)
American Political Science Review (1906-1998)
Journal of Politics (1939-1998)
Political Theory (1973-1998)

Project MUSE < about >
Some of the Political Science titles in Project MUSE:
History of Political Economy (1999- )
Journal of Cold War Studies (1999- )
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law (1999- )
World Politics (1995- )

Do you have access to a journal?  

1.) Ariadne (print)

• Title search on Title of the Journal to locate print journal

2.) Electronic Journal Finder (online)

• Title search on Title of the Journal to locate article in a Full Text Database

3.) WestCat - Western Michigan's catalog

• Title search on Title of the Journal
• Waldo Library - Hours and How to get to Western

4.) Interlibrary Loan

• Order item through Interlibrary Loan
  ($1 per filled request waived during Library Renovation)
• Use *only* when the journal is not available through Ariadne, Electronic Journals, or WestCat.

Types of Periodicals

Scholarly Journals (American Political Science Review)

• Authors are scholars or researchers in their fields.
• Authors cite their sources in footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies.
• Individual issues have little or no advertising.
• Articles must go through a peer-review process.
• Articles usually report original scholarly research.
• Most illustrations are charts, figures, or graphs.
• Authors use the specialized language or jargon of the discipline.

Popular Magazines (Atlantic Monthly)

• Authors are free lance writers or magazine staff members.
• Authors may mention sources, but rarely cite them in notes or bibliographies.
• Individual issues contain many advertisements.
• There is no peer review process. Articles are reviewed by editors or publishers.
• Illustrations are numerous and colorful.
• Articles are meant to inform and entertain an educated audience.
• Language is written for the general adult audience (no specialized jargon).

  Scholarly or Not?
  Use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory (Ref. Desk Z6941 .U5)
  Look for section called "Document Type"
  Document Type MUST say "Academic/Scholarly Publication" to be considered scholarly!

To find Web sites, use search engines and web indexes. See Finding Web Sites and Web Indexes and Directories.
See also Web Sites by Subject and Finding Web Sites on Political Science.

WorldCat < about >
WorldCat contains bibliographic citations for high-quality Web sites on a variety of subjects. When you search WorldCat for Web sites, remember to check the box for "Internet Resources" in the section called "Limit type to". Sites are selected according to a collection development policy that emphasizes quality, authoritativeness, and durability.

Political Science Websites:

• APSA Net- American Political Science Association
  The American Political Science Association is the major professional society for individuals engaged in the study of politics and government.
• Academic Info: Political Science
  An independent, annotated Directory of Internet Resources, compiled by Mike Madin.
• Documents in the News: Current Events Research
  University of Michigan Documents Center. This site "identifies issues about government making news headlines and Web sources with additional information."
• PoliSci.com
  Well organized links to political news, a Web directory, and the Political Reference Almanac online.
• WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs
  Presents about 900 selected and annotated links in a range of international studies topics. This listing of links is maintained by Professor Wayne A. Selcher, Professor of International Studies, Department of Political Science, Elizabethtown College.

EVALUATING WEBSITES

Use these points to evaluate the credibility of Websites:

1. Accuracy
How reliable is the information? Are there editors and fact checkers?
2. Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Is the publisher reputable?
3. Objectivity
Is the author trying to sway opinion? Is the information free from bias?
4. Currency
Is the publication date indicated? Is the source up to date?
5. Coverage
Does the site cover the topic comprehensively, or are there information gaps?

Sites that provide guidance on evaluating Websites:

• Evaluating Web Resources
  Widener University Library
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
  Johns Hopkins University Library
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources
  New Mexico State University Library
• Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
  UCLA College Library

CITING YOUR SOURCES

See: How to Cite Sources

See also Citing Sources for help in citing print and electronic resources in various bibliographic styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)

ALWAYS check the style manual!! DO NOT rely on other guides!

Plagiarism: copying or stealing another’s work or ideas.

To avoid plagiarism, you must cite:

• spoken and written quotations
• ideas and opinions
• facts that are not general knowledge
• paraphrases of all of the above

See Plagiarism: What it Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
(Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University)

When in doubt, ask your instructor!