Public Administration

Article Databases

Political Science

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Enter your search terms in the Google-like search bar.  Narrow the results of this search of government-business cooperation using the suggestions on the right-hand side of the page.

PAIS International
Use advanced searching to find scholarly articles.  Try searching for "housing policy" and "local government" and "United States."

Social Sciences

Social Sciences Full Text
Search across the social sciences.  Use the thesaurus to identify key terms and view related articles, such as Public administration/citizen participation.

Social Services Abstracts
Use the advanced search screen to combine keywords.  Try searching for local government and homelessness.

Article Database Search Tips

• Use Synonyms, brainstorm, and mine found resources
• Notice controlled vocabulary, index, descriptor and subject terms
• Use truncation; * works for most databases (i.e. - ethic* searches for ethic, ethics, ethical)
• Combine terms with boolean operators, AND contains both terms, OR contains at least one term
• Search phrases; quotes work for most databases
• Use dropdown menu or radio buttons to limit search to fields such as title, subject, abstract, descriptors
• Use the online Help

Finding Articles in Full Text

• Finding Full Text from Article Databases Video Tutorial
• Finding Full Text with an Article Citation Video Tutorial

Issues

Every issue has at least two sides.  Be ready for debate by staying on top of the issues.  The Library is here to help!

• CQ Researcher is the perfect resource for staying on top of global and national issues. 
  
  • For instance, look over this entry for School Vouchers (2002).  On the right hand side, you'll see the Issue Tracker, which gives a timeline of events surrounding the issue.  Click the Pro/Con link on the left-hand menu to jump down to two experts weighing in on the issue.
• Opposing Viewpoints similarly places issues in the context of debate.  Each entry pulls together selected resources surrounding a specific topic. 
  
  • For instance, see this entry on Government Bailouts of Private Industry.

Once you've chosen an issue, don't forget to Search our catalog for books and other materials.

Newspapers

The Library subscribes to a variety of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post,  and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Furthermore, access to the text of many newspapers is available through Proquest Newspapers and Lexis Nexis Academic.

Government Documents

• THOMAS - THOMAS was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public.
• CQ Electronic Library (CQ Press)
  Combines many CQ Press resources for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs.

Did you know that the library catalog, found on the Search Tab, can link you to many government reports?

Citations

APA Style

Publication manual for the American Psychological Association

• Available for use in the library, this is the official guide to APA style.
• APA Style Online Tutorial
• APA Style Blog

Refworks

RefWorks is a Web-based software package designed to help you easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies.

See the Library Guide to Refworks for more information.

Request an Appointment

Research librarians are ready and waiting to help you with your research!  Kristyna and Merrill are available by phone, by email, by instant messaging, or in person.  Email Kristyna now, or use the form below to request a research appointment.

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