Political Science 360: Public Policy & Administration Spring 2005 Mary Shumaker

Your Topic

What is my topic?

• Congress.org ~ you'll see this site listed a lot within this page, as it is a comprehensive source of information; scroll down to the area labeled Issues and Action (or click the link on the left-hand side of the page), scroll to select a topic, and click the "GO" button

How do I find out what bills are pending on my topic?

• Congress.org ~ once you've selected your topic in the Issues and Action section, click on the link labeled "Bills" to display pending bills

Finding Journal Articles

• Academic Search Elite ~ contains articles from both popular and scholarly sources on a wide range of topics, many in full text.

• CQ Researcher ~ published by Congressional Quarterly, this resource weekly focuses on a particular topic, such as campaign finance reform or abortion; good for finding out background information or learning more about the topic at hand
• Lexis-Nexis Academic ~ use Lexis-Nexis Academic to access articles major magazines and journals, as well as ranscripts of news programs, articles from news wire services (like the Associated Press); the LEGAL section accesses articles from law newsletters and reviews
• Military and Government Collection ~ this database allows access to a wide variety of publications, including political transcripts, presidential speeches, pertinent news wire articles, and Congressional publications
• PAIS International ~ a specialized database focusing on public affairs, public policy, and related matters in political science; ask a librarian for a username and password

Is this a scholarly journal or a popular magazine?

Finding Journal Articles | Finding Newspaper Articles |Finding Books |Other Helpful Resources

Finding Newspaper Articles

• Chicago Tribune
• Lexis-Nexis Academic ~ also provides access to newspapers from all over the world
• Newspaper Source ~ another database providing access to newspapers both large and small
• New York Times

What if the article isn't available online?

• Use Illinet Online to determine if the library owns the journal in print or in microfilm
• Check Journals and Magazines Available Online to see if the article is available through another database
• If you cannot find an article at Elmhurst, you can request it through our online Interlibrary Loan article request form

Finding Journal Articles | Finding Newspaper Articles |Finding Books |Other Helpful Resources

Finding Books

• Use Illinet Online to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 64 other Illinois academic libraries
• Illinet Online allows you to order books online from 64 other libraries in Illinois
• What if Illinet Online doesn't have the book I need? Request the book through interlibrary loan

Sample Library of Congress Subject Headings

• Air--Pollution
• Abortion--Government policy--United States--States
• Abortion--Law and legislation--United States--States
• Civil rights--United States
• Civil rights--Government policy--United States--History--20th century
• Federal government--United States
• Same-sex marriage Law and legislation United States.
• State rights
• United States--Politics and government

Select Reference Resources

• Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process R 328.7307 O45c 2000 (the 2004 edition is in the circulating collection)
• Open Secrets: Encyclopedia of Congressional Money and Politics R 324.78 M235o
• A number of encyclopedias will discuss public policy in the context of their broader topics. Some examples:
  • Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy, R 327.73 H356e
  • Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd ed., R 370.3 E56g
  • Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, R 346.03 E56
  • Encyclopedia of Human Rights, 2nd ed., R 323.403 E561996
  • Encyclopedia of Terrorism, R 303.62503 K97e
  • The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide, R 305.4203 G816
  • Pollution A to Z, R 363.7303 P777
  • Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge, R 305.403 R869

Finding Journal Articles | Finding Newspaper Articles |Finding Books |Other Helpful Resources

Other Helpful Resources

• Congress.org ~ click on the name of a bill under the same topic; next to the run-down of the vote is a link for "Complete Tally" -- click on this link for a complete listing of who voted how
• Congressional Research Service ~ this search tool, made available to the public by a progressive organization called 2Act, allows you to search for the full text of documents prepared by the Congressional Research Service, a group of researchers who work on behalf of Congress
• C-SPAN: Congress Guide ~ Search to find out how officials have voted on key issues; search by session number, key word, or even by member
• LII: U.S. Code ~ from Cornell's Legal Information Institute, this iteration of the United States Code allows users to not only search the text of individual sections of the Code, but it also allows you to browse by the popular name of an Act (as it may be particularly difficult to find information on a bill by bill number alone, knowing the popular name is invaluable)
• Public Agenda Online ~ a nonpartisan organization that researches public opinion and endeavors to assist the public in understanding key issues affecting public policy; you can search by topic to look at poll results, red flags, and bills; issue guides and research studies are available
• Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet ~ includes the Congressional Record, a complete record of legislative goings-on, as well as bill summary and status going back to the 93rd congress; do a search by bill number, and click on the link for "Bill Summary and Status"

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Citing Your Sources