Identifying a Topic and Focus
Sources to help you find and refine a topic
Oxford Bibliographies (Oxford University Press) TutorialPresents peer-reviewed, annotated bibliographies and expert commentary on current scholarship in selected disciplines. Villanova University has access to the following bibliographies: African American Studies, Art History, Atlantic History, Biblical Studies, British and Irish Literature, Buddhism, Cinema and Media Studies, Classics, Communication, Criminology, Environmental Science, Geography, International Relations, Islamic Studies, Latin American Studies, Management, Medieval Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Renaissance and Reformation, and Victorian Literature.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1myXLJZGPwM
Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale)Access information on social issues through viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to web sites and full text magazine and newspaper articles.
SAGE KnowledgeProvides full text access to encyclopedias and handbooks in the social sciences, as well as selected ebooks. All content is published by SAGE Publications.
CQ Researcher (CQ Press)Features in-depth reports of political and social issues, including health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Reports include overview, background, current situation, pro/con views, chronology, and a bibliography. The issue tracker links to related reports. Coverage goes back to 1923.
Communication Research Design Reference
Encyclopedia of Research Design Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods Communication Research: Strategies and Sources SAGE Handbook of Survey MethodologyFinding Scholarly Literature
Search for Books
Books are a good source for general information because they tend to take a broad view of the topic at hand. Scholarly journal articles are narrowly focused on one area of a topic.
Falvey Library Catalog (Books & Media)
WorldCat (FirstSearch)
Google Books
Book Review Index Plus (Gale)
Falvey Library Catalog (Books & Media)Keyword and subject searches in the Library's catalog are good starting points when first exploring a topic. Search results can be narrowed with facets such as topic, era, language or region. Facets are located on the right hand side of the results screen.
WorldCat (FirstSearch)Presents a combined catalog of the catalogs of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide. WorldCat highlights publications available at Villanova University. Other items can be requested via an inter-library loan request form.
Google BooksSearch the full text of digitized books contributed by libraries and publishers. View either brief excerpts, bibliographic information or if not protected by copyright the full text.
Book Review Index Plus (Gale)Indexes reviews of fiction and nonfiction English-language books. Reviews are selected from academic journals, magazines, and library review journals. Includes selected full text. Coverage goes back to the early 1960s.
Search for Articles
Social Sciences Citation Index - Web of Science (Clarivate)Indexes core journals in the social sciences. Provides information on citing and cited references for each article. Search by article title word, journal title, author, cited author or reference, address word (i.e., author's institution), or funding agency. Covers 1956 to the present.
Project MuseProvides full-text access to books and journals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
PAIS International (ProQuest)Provides citations and abstracts for journal articles, books, government documents, conference papers, research reports, etc. in the areas of public affairs, public and social policy, and international relations. International in scope. Formerly known as the Public Affairs Information Service.
Finding Current News and Historical Collections
News Databases
Access World News (NewsBank) TutorialProvides full text access to national and international newspaper articles and radio and television news transcripts. Many newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, offer full-image “page view” format. Includes user-friendly subject browse feature, as well as full text searchability. Coverage varies.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/sites/default/files/assets/newsbank-help-documentation.pdf
Alternative Press Index (EBSCO)Provides citations with selected abstracts to articles published in alternative and often marginalized journals, newspapers, and magazines. Coverage is international and interdisciplinary. Covers 1991 to the present.
Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest)Offers access to the full text of articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press. While most of the content is in English, some content in non-English languages is included. Coverage for most newspapers and magazines goes back to the early 1990s, but earlier content is also available.
New York Times: 1851- (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)Provides full text access to the complete New York Times archive except for the most recent five years. Use NYTimes.com, Nexis Uni, or ABI/INFORM for access to current content.
Nexis Uni Limitations on UseFormerly known as LexisNexis Academic. Provides full text access to national and international newspaper and magazine articles and news transcripts, business, company, and industry information in the U.S. and abroad, and legal documents, including U.S. Federal and State court cases, and law reviews. Coverage varies.
Limitations on Use:
LexisNexis online services and the materials contained therein are under copyright by LexisNexis. All rights reserved. No part of these Services may be used except for research purposes, and the Services may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the LexisNexis Academic Library Solutions. Materials retrieved from the Services may not be duplicated in hard copy or machine-readable form without the prior written authorization of LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions, except that limited reproduction of output is permitted solely for individual use by the Authorized User or internal distribution within the Subscribing Institution in accordance with the terms of this Agreement unless further limited or prohibited by the Copyright Act of 1976. Under no circumstances may the Materials or any portion thereof be used to create derivative products or services.
LexisNexis online services and the materials contained therein are under copyright by LexisNexis. All rights reserved. No part of these Services may be used except for research purposes, and the Services may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the LexisNexis Academic Library Solutions. Materials retrieved from the Services may not be duplicated in hard copy or machine-readable form without the prior written authorization of LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions, except that limited reproduction of output is permitted solely for individual use by the Authorized User or internal distribution within the Subscribing Institution in accordance with the terms of this Agreement unless further limited or prohibited by the Copyright Act of 1976. Under no circumstances may the Materials or any portion thereof be used to create derivative products or services.
Washington Post (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)Contains the full text of the Washington Post and its title variations from 1877 until seventeen years ago.
CQ Press Library (CQ Press)Provides a combined search interface and access to selected CQ Press publications including the CQ Almanac (1945-), the Political Handbook of the World (2005-), and the Supreme Court Yearbook (1989-). Offers links to CQ Press collections on the Sage Knowledge platform including Congress and the Nation (1945-2004), Historic Documents Series (1972-), Vital Statistics on American Politics, and the Washington Information Directory.
Specialized Collections
African American Studies Center (Oxford University Press)Contains a selection of information sources ranging from the authoritative Encyclopedia of African American History to the African American National Biography project. Selected primary sources, maps, images, charts, and tables round out the collection.
American National Biography Online (Oxford University Press)Presents authoritative biographies of influential people who lived in what is now the United States. Covers only deceased subjects. Includes portraits, if available, and bibliographies with citations to works by and about featured individuals.
Digital Collections (The Library of Congress)Provides a gateway to digital copies of the Library of Congress's vast resources of historical records. Examples include various presidential papers collections, photographs, baseball cards, scores and musical recordings, newspapers, magazines, and personal narratives such as those collected from former enslaved people through the Federal Writers' Project.
Black Abolitionist Papers (ProQuest)Features newspapers articles, manuscripts, letters, pamphlets, proceedings, and books written by African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830 and 1865.
African American Newspapers: The 19th Century (Accessible Archives)Provides access to the major 19th century African American newspapers including The Christian Recorder (1861-1902), Freedom's Journal (1827-1829), The North Star (1847-1851), and Frederick Douglass' Paper (1851-1863).
America: History and Life (EBSCO)Indexes the literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes citations for journal and magazine articles, book reviews, and dissertations. Abstracts of journal articles are included together with selected full-text. Indexing goes back to 1964.
America's Historical Newspapers (Readex)Includes full text of selected early American newspapers published between 1690 and 1922. Villanova University has access to series 1 through 5 and 7.
Topic and Issue-Specific Resources
Election Law/Electoral College
American National Election Studies (ANES)Quality data from ANES surveys on voting, public opinion, and political participation. ANES data is meant to enable researchers to better understand the theoretical and empirical foundations of national election outcomes. Includes: Tables & Graphs, Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior, a library of pilot studies, technical reports and conference papers, and data center links. See also HOW TO ANALYZE ANES SURVEY DATA.
Brennan Center for Justice - redistricting guidesA non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism.
Electoral College (U.S.)The electoral college is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and comprises a set of electors selected to elect the president of the United States.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. For brief video introduction click here.
Law Library of Congress - Guide to Election ResourcesA variety of historical print and online resources about elections and the electoral college.
Law Library of Congress - Guide to Law Online - Election LawSelected, annotated guide to Internet sources of interest to legal researcher emphasizing wherever possible sites offering the full texts of laws, regulations, and court decisions, along with commentary from lawyers writing primarily for other lawyers. Some materials related to law and government that were written by or for lay persons also have also been included.
Campaign Finance
Brookings Institution on Campaign FinanceThe Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. conducts and reports quality, independent research and provides recommendations based on that research.
Campaign Finance Institute (CFI)Conducts research and education, empanels task forces, and makes recommendations for policy change in the field of campaign finance. Resources include Federal campaign finance, state campaign finance, tables, charts & data, law and policy modeling tool.
Campaign Legal CenterOffers nonpartisan analyses of issues and represents the public interest in administrative, legislative and legal proceedings.
Brennan Center for JusticeA non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism.
Center for Public IntegrityOne of the country's oldest and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organizations, it attempts to enhance democracy by revealing abuses of power, corruption and betrayal of trust by powerful public and private institutions by using the tools of investigative journalism. Profiles PACs, ad buys by super PACs, election donors and nonprofit election supporters.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. For brief video introduction click here.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) ReportsCongressional Research Service (CRS) provides authoritative and confidential research and analysis for Congress' deliberative use.
OpenSecrets.orgBrought to you by the Center for Responsive Politics, a research group tracking money in U.S. Linked tabs include politicians & elections, influence & lobbying (to search industry and issues) and news & analysis.
Washington Post - Recent Presidential Campaign Finance ExplorerLast updated December 2012, Explores campaign funds raised and spent along with charts broadly depicting categories of funds that fueled the 2012 presidential race. For 2016 election see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/campaign-finance/
Washington Post - Congressional wealth seriesA close-up look at Congressional wealth, includes lists and interactive.
Polling Information
Census
Census - Population and Housing Census Bureau (United States) - FastFacts for CongressInformation about state, congressional districts and counties can be found here. Data is a producte of The American Community Survey (ACS), the proposed replacement for the decennial census long form. It asks essentially the same questions as the long form, but the data collection will be spread throughout the decade, rather than at a single point in time, which provides information on a continuous basis.
Census Population/RaceThe Census Bureau collects race data according to U.S. Office of Management and Budget guidelines, and these data are based on self-identification. People may choose to report more than one race group. People of any race may be of any ethnic origin.
Government Documents & Records
Almanac of American PoliticsAuthoritative source of information about members of Congress, their districts, the governors and the states. The Web site is organized according to people, districts and states, similar to the book. The most recent profile of a person, along with biographical data and voting behavior.
A detailed description of a congressional district, along with several tables of demographic data, the district's 2008 presidential results and its Cook rating.
Also includes a history and analysis of the politics of a state. The state pages also contain 2008 presidential election results, legislature party breakdowns, and analyses of demographic shifts that could affect redistricting for 2012.
Congress.govCongress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. It includes bills and resolutions, committee reports, the Congressional Record, Presidential nominations, treaties, and other related information including summary and status of legislation. The site also provides information about members of Congress, links to House and Senate committee pages, to the United States Code, and to other legislative resources. Coverage varies with the earliest citations dating back to 1973. Consult Coverage Dates for Legislative Information for the start date for each collection.
CQ Electronic Library Supreme Court DatabaseDatabase contains over two hundred pieces of information about each case decided by the Court between the 1791 and 2021 terms. Download options include CSV, R, SPSS and MSExcel.
Supreme Court of the United StatesOfficial website of the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. Courts - The Federal JudiciaryThe purpose of this site is to function as a clearinghouse for information from and about the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set: 1817–1994 (Readex)Provides full text of selected reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from 1817 through 1994 (15th through 103rd Congresses). Documents of the first 14 U.S. Congresses can be found in the American State Papers collection.
Congressional Publications (ProQuest)Provides comprehensive indexing of United States legislative information: hearings transcripts and submitted testimony, committee reports, bills, public laws, congressional member public interest group ratings, selected committee prints, congressional documents, the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and the U.S. Code. Includes abstracts. Some of the indexing goes back to the late 18th century.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) ReportsCongressional Research Service (CRS) provides authoritative and confidential research and analysis for Congress' deliberative use.
Data and Statistics
ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan) Access InstructionsProvides access to archived social science data and data-driven learning guides designed for the classroom. Includes information about data management and curation services available to member institutions. See Qualitative Data Repository for qualitative and multi-method data.
A free ICPSR account is required to download data. The account must be created on campus. If you are having trouble accessing ICPSR data from off campus, please contact Nicole Daly at nicole.daly@villanova.edu for help.
Pew Research : Hispanic TrendsLaunched in 2001 as the Pew Hispanic Center, the project seeks to improve public understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the United States and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the nation. The project conducts public opinion surveys, publishes demographic studies and other social science research and is well-known for its estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S.
Polling GuideTopic guide listing selected polling databases and Internet sources
Social & Demographic Trends - Pew Research CenterIt is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center. The project studies behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives, including family, community, health, finance, work and leisure.
Social ExplorerProvides access to maps and tables of U.S. Census and American Community Survey data from 1790 through most recently released data. Also includes datasets on election, health, crime, religion, and environmental topics, as well as some international data (UK Census 2011; Canadian Census 2011; selected Eurostat data; and World Development Indicators from the World Bank.) Create a free personal account in order to save your work.
American FactFinderAmerican FactFinder is a website used to distribute data collected by the United States Census Bureau.
It provides data for recent survey years for a range of geographies, including by Census tract, Zip Code Tabulation Area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, county, and state. American FactFinder is being replaced by data.census.gov, and as of July 1, 2019, all new data are being released to that platform. American FactFinder will be taken offline on March 31, 2020.
It provides data for recent survey years for a range of geographies, including by Census tract, Zip Code Tabulation Area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, county, and state. American FactFinder is being replaced by data.census.gov, and as of July 1, 2019, all new data are being released to that platform. American FactFinder will be taken offline on March 31, 2020.
Organizing Sources