Political Science 150: Introduction to Politics

Spring 2008
Professor Walsh

Begin with General Resources:

It's a good idea to start a research project by using some general resources. General resources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc) can help you with your research in 3 ways:

• You will get familiar with topic-specific words, names, etc, that you can use while searching for more specific sources
• Good reference works have bibliographies--you can always look those sources up yourself
• You will get an idea about the breadth of a topic and how you should plan your next research step

Electronic Sources:

These are searchable online reference book databases. Each collection contains more than one book, and each collection has different books in it. if you don't find what you are looking for in one database, try another.

• CQ Researcher ~ An excellent source for current hot topics. Each individual issue contains historical background, a timeline, current status, and potential future developments. The bibliographies are especially helpful in finding useful sources.
• Credo Reference ~ over 275 electronic books, ranging from art to technology. Search across all subjects or select specific subject areas to search in.
• Gale Virtual Reference Library ~ full text of over 50 reference sources. Do a basic Search to get the bog picture of what's available, or search by subject.
• Greenwood Digital Collection ~ collection of electronic books, some reference and some not, with a searchable interface.
• Britannica Online ~ same as the printed version, but searchable.

Print Sources:

Print reference sources can provide you with good general information, as well as an answer to the question "What do I look at next?". The library has an extensive collection of reference books--here's a small sample:

• Encyclopedia of American Immigration R 304.87303 E56
• The Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism, R 306.4460973 E56
• Encyclopedia of Sociology R 301.03 E56S
• Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America R323.1196 E56
• Encyclopedia of crime and punishment R 346.03 E56
• Encyclopedia of Science and Technology R503 M147D 2007
• Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia, R 306.703 H918

You can look up more print reference sources in I-Share, or just go browse the reference collection.

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Finding Books in the Library Catalog

Use I-Share, the Library Catalog, to search for books on your issues topic.

Use Subject Headings for more efficient searching:

Some suggestions for Subject Headings:

• Budget deficits --United States.
• Emigration and immigration--Government policy.
• Terrorism
• Affirmative action programs

The Library also has three book series that may be useful to your issues research.

Opposing Viewpoints ~ has books on discrimination, race relations, interracial America, social justice, and working women.
Taking Sides ~ looks at race and ethnicity, controversial legal issues, complex economic and social topics, and human sexuality.
Current Controversies ~ examines the current debates on such topics as the disabled, ethics, gay rights, minorities, nationalism and ethnic conflict, racism, and sexual harassment.

To find these books, use Advanced Search, put your topic terms in as an Any Word Anywhere search and then put the book series name in as Series Title.

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Finding Journal and Magazine Articles

Which article databases are good starting places for my search?

• Academic Search Complete ~ A good place to start. Includes references to scholarly as well as popular periodicals.

• Periodical Abstracts ~ Includes indexing, abstracting, and some full text for magazine and journal articles.

• WilsonSelectPlus ~ Includes indexing, abstracting, and full text for a variety of magazines and journals.

 

Where can I find newspaper articles?

• New York Times ~ full text back to 1999, with indexing available back to 1990.
  
• Chicago Tribune ~ full text from 1985 to present.
  
• Lexis-Nexis Academic ~ accesses a variety of news and business sources, many of which are full text
  
• Wall Street Journal ~ full text from 1985 to present.

  
  
• Newspaper Source ~ full text from more than 100 U.S. and international newspapers. Includes sources such as USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The (London) Times, and transcripts from NPR's Morning Edition

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Finding Internet Resources

A word about Google and Wikipedia.

Google and Wikipedia are 2 tools that are available to help you find information on the Internet. Google is an Internet search engine. It will find websites for you. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia.It contains lots of information. But you need to be careful when using these 2 tools. Google will just find sites for you. It will not tell you whether or not those sites are accurate, or unbiased, or current. Wikipedia can be useful to help you get started finding information. But because anybody can edit a Wikipedia page, you have to take information you find there with a grain of salt. Wikipedia is a fine source for some information--but always backup information you find there with another source.

Using and Evaluating Information Sources

• The Spider's Apprentice: How to Use Web Search Engines
• The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources
• Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages
• Is It a Popular Magazine or a Scholarly Journal?
• Evaluating Web Sites
  

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Writing and Citing Resources

For help with writing, try the Elmhurst College Writing Center online help page.

You can also try these online resources
College Writing and Citing
Citing Electronic Resources
ONLINE! Citation Styles
Citing Sources from the Duke University Libraries

If you need any help, you can also contact the Reference Desk any time the library is open:

Reference: 630-617-3173
Email: ref[at[elmhurst[dot]edu
AIM: elmhrstcollibref   |   Yahoo!Messenger: eclibraryreference   |   MSN Messenger: ref[at]elmhurst.edu

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