Book Sources
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.
Oxford Handbooks Online (Oxford University Press)Provides digital access in selected disciplines. Each handbook introduces and surveys the state of scholarship in a field of study through review articles written by leading subject specialists. Articles review key issues and debates and set the agenda for new research. Villanova University does not have access to the complete collection. Access print handbooks through the Library's print collection and/or interlibrary loan services.
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.
Scholarly Article Databases
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.
Annual Reviews journalsFind journals annually synthesizing current developments, advances and trends in multiple disciplines.
CQ Congress Collection (SAGE) TutorialOffers historical analysis of members of Congress, their legislative voting behavior, interest groups, and their interactions in crafting public policy.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: http://library.cqpress.com/congress/html/public/CongressUser.pdf
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.
Communication & Mass Media Complete (EBSCO)Indexes academic journals, magazines, books, and book reviews in the fields of communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields. Includes abstracts and full text for selected journals. Coverage goes back to the early 20th century.
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.
Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest)Provides citations, abstracts, and full text, when available, of dissertations and theses from 1743 to the present.
Google ScholarGoogle Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Scholar search tips
HeinOnlineProvides full text access to legal periodicals, books, government documents, legal texts, and other primary source collections in the legal field.
Subscription courtesy of the Charles Widger School of Law Library.
Subscription courtesy of the Charles Widger School of Law Library.
Historical Abstracts (EBSCO)Indexes academic journals, magazines, books, book reviews, and dissertations that cover world history from 1450 to the present, excluding North American history which is covered in the companion index America: History and Life. Includes abstracts for academic journal articles and selective full text content. Coverage extends back to 1953.
JSTORProvides a full text archive of academic journals and books in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. The most recent three to five years of a journal are usually not included.
OECD iLibraryProvides full text access to the books, periodicals, working papers, and statistical publications produced by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1998. Also contains several statistical databases including Main Economic Indicators, International Trade by Commodity Statistics, and compendia of agriculture, education, environment, and social statistics.
OpinionArchivesFeatures electronic archives for selected journals of opinion, including Commonweal, Dissent, The New Leader, The Progressive, Orion, American Spectator and The Weekly Standard.
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.
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
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (iPOLL) Tutorial Access InstructionsOffers public opinion poll data from surveys conducted in the U.S. and other countries by many major polling organizations. Includes the full text of questions and responses. Items with a green plus icon have crosstab breakdowns; those with an X have microdata available for download; while those with a green and blue star icon allow you to perform custom crosstab analysis online. Covers 1935 to the present, updated daily.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/roper-center-tools/video-tutorials
To download or analyze data online, each user needs to set up a free account.
ScienceDirect (Elsevier)Provides full text access to thousands of journals in the sciences, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities.
Scopus (Elsevier)Provides citations and abstracts to peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings in all major disciplines. Provides information on citing and cited references for each article.
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.
Web of Science (Clarivate) TutorialProvides access to the Social Sciences Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded, Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Conference Proceeding Citation Index, Book Citation Index, Emerging Sources Citation Index, Current Chemical Reactions, and Index Chemicus. Search for scholarly articles in any discipline, or for articles that cite a known author or work. Coverage varies.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/support/wos/wos-core-collection/
Nonprofit Guides
Foundation Directory Online Professional (Foundation Center)Offers information on foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking charities. Grantmaker profiles include private and independent foundations, corporate foundations, U.S. federal funders, public charities, and international foundations.
GuideStar ProProvides detailed information about nonprofit organizations including IRS Form 990 with financial statements. Also offers self-reported information about programs and activities.
Partially funded by Villanova School of Business.
Partially funded by Villanova School of Business.
National Council of Nonprofits, trends & policy issuesBy tracking regional and national trends, the National Council of Nonprofits identifies how policies and practices within the nonprofit community and at all levels of government – local, state, and federal – affect the ability of community-based nonprofits to meet their missions
Newspapers Sources
Philadelphia Inquirer, 1981- (NewsBank)Provides full text access to articles published since 1981. Does not include ads, calendar listings, horoscopes, sports statistics, stock tables, weather forecasts, and puzzles.
Philadelphia Inquirer, 1860-2009 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)Provides full text access to the complete Philadelphia Inquirer archive up to 2009: the Philadelphia Inquirer (1860-1934), the Philadelphia Inquirer Public Ledger (1934-1969), and the Philadelphia Inquirer (1969-2009). Use Philadelphia Inquirer (NewsBank) for access to current content.
Philadelphia Business Journal (American City Business Journals) Limitations on Use Access InstructionsOffers full text access to the Philadelphia Business Journal and their Book of Lists
This User Agreement explains your rights and obligations in accessing, visiting and/or using the Service, brought to you by ACBJ. By using the Service, you consent and agree to be bound by the terms of this User Agreement. If you do not agree with the terms and conditions of this User Agreement, you should not access, visit and/or use the Service, or request or receive a Product. This User Agreement may be modified from time to time, so check back often.
https://acbj.com/useragreement
Register with your Villanova email address and create a password. Accounts will be purged from time to time. When they are, reregistration will be needed. After registration you may get the mobile app for access.
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.
ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest)Provides access to scholarly journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals, and country- and industry-focused reports.
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
Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)Offers full text access to the archives of a selection of newspapers available on the ProQuest platform: the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the major African American newspapers of the 20th century, including the Chicago Defender. Coverage varies.
New York Times (NYTimes.com) Access InstructionsOffers access to all sections of the NYTimes.com website without monthly limits. Coverage from 1851 to present, with limited availability of articles from 1923-1980. For full text access to all NYT content except the most recent five years, use ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
Subscription courtesy of the Provost's Office and Falvey Library.
Subscription courtesy of the Provost's Office and Falvey Library.
Users are required to create an individual account in order to access the NYT from off-campus or via mobile app. Create your account at AccessNYT.com. Download mobile apps from nytimes.com/mobile. Once your account is created, you can use it to log on to NYTimes.com from anywhere with full access. Your institutional affiliation must be confirmed once a year at AccessNYT.com
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.
Wall Street Journal Limitations on Use Access InstructionsOffers full access to all sections of the newspaper and WSJ.com website.
Access courtesy of the Villanova School of Business.
Access courtesy of the Villanova School of Business.
Limitations on Use:
Sharing accounts and copying or publishing content is not permitted. Eligible users include current Villanova students, faculty and staff.
Sharing accounts and copying or publishing content is not permitted. Eligible users include current Villanova students, faculty and staff.
Registration is required to access the WSJ.com website via computer, mobile device or tablet. Register at www.wsj.com/Villanova with your Villanova credentials, accept the terms of use, and thereafter access with your individual sign-on. For assistance, email support@wsj.com or call 1-800-journal.
Wall Street Journal (Proquest Historical Newspapers)Provides access to the Wall Street Journal from 1889-2001. Current coverage for the Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition also available from Proquest and .com subscriptions.
Washington Post Historical: 1877- (ProQuest)Contains the full text of the Washington Post and its title variations from 1877 until seventeen years ago.
Think Tanks (Government, universities)
American Policy Directory (University of Oregon)Find analysis and advocacy from all perspectives on US national public policy.
Annie E. Casey FoundationAs a private philanthropy based in Baltimore and working across the country, we make grants that help federal agencies, states, counties, cities and neighborhoods create more innovative, cost-effective responses to the issues that negatively affect children: poverty, unnecessary disconnection from family and communities with limited access to opportunity.
Brookings Institution (The)The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. and conducting in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
Cato InstituteA public policy research organization — a think tank — dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)Analyzes federal budget priorities, with a particular focus on how budget choices affect low-income Americans. CBPP pursues federal and state policies designed both to reduce poverty and inequality and to restore fiscal responsibility in equitable and effective ways.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data & StatisticsData, reports and tools covering diseases and health monitored by the CDC
Find PolicyOpen source search engine focused on reports and analyses from leading policy research organizations.
Go To Think Tank Index ReportsThe Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs, and produces the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index that ranks the world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories.
Heritage Foundation (The)The mission of The Heritage Foundation is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
Kaiser Family FoundationPrivate health care policy and advocacy organization that conducts primary research including surveys, case studies and focus groups on media and health. Disseminates news and reports conducted by others related to health and media such as television, advertising, public education campaigns, internet and social media.
Pew Research Center"The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues."
Pew Research Center : DatasetsAllows download of public surveys conducted on politics, religion, demographics, housing, relationships, work and many other topics.
Policy Brief Series, Maxwell Center for Policy ResearchPolicy briefs are essays on current public policy issues in aging, health, income security, metropolitan studies, and related research done by or on behalf of the Center for Policy Research at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
RAND CorporationThe RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.
RAND Corporation Research BriefsThe RAND Corporation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis, focusing on issues of health, education, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment, and more.
Think Tank SearchA Google Custom Search of more than 1200 think tanks and research centers.
USA.gov - A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies Urban InstituteGathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government.
Vanderbilt - public policy issues/groupsList of public policy issues and groups.
Writing about think tanks and using their research: A cautionary tip sheetAims to help journalists ask critical questions before citing a think tank’s research or experts.
Writing Public Policy
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Research to Action-How to Write Actionable Policy Recommendations
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Research to Action - How to Plan, Write and Communicate an Effective Policy Brief
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Print book:The big idea: a step-by-step guide to creating effective policy reports /Duitch, Suri.Writing public policy: a practical guide to communicating in the policy-making process / Smith, C. F.
Criminal & Social Justice Related Resources
Bureau of Justice StatisticsFederal crime statistics on a wide variety of subjects from crime and victims, to criminal offenders and courts and sentencing.
Data sets for analysis available online.
Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health (Data)The mission of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health is to promote health equity through rigorous research, innovative teaching, and community engagement.
Criminal Justice Abstracts (EBSCO)Indexes academic journals, magazines, and books in criminology and related fields. Includes abstracts and selected full text. Coverage goes back to the middle of the 18th century.
Elon University Poverty and Social Justice Research GuideTeresa LePors' multi-format poverty & social justice research guide.
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)The UCR Program's primary objective is to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ)NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Social Justice Resource CenterThe mission of the Social Justice Resource Center is to link faith to action by providing information and resources on the social issues of our time.
Economics/Finance Related Resources
Bureau of Economic Analysis"The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) promotes a better understanding of the U.S. economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data in an objective and cost-effective manner."
Bureau of Labor StatisticsCompiles surveys and statistics on employment, unemployment, prices, productivity, compensation, time use and spending to name a few.
Unemployment PulseUnemployment Pulse visualizes a moving 14-month window of unemployment data at the state and county level, as reported by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (monthly report, generally released with about a six-week lag). Local rates are shown alongside national rates.
There are two options for visualizing these trends. The first shows local rates of unemployment alongside national rates, for context. The second option shows when local rates went above or below the national rate.
Business Source Premier (EBSCO)Provides access to a wide range of academic business journals and trade magazines. Topics include management, marketing, finance, economics, and management information systems. Full text access may be embargoed for up to three years. Coverage goes back to 1965.
EconLit with Full Text (EBSCO)Indexes and abstracts journal articles, books, working papers, and dissertations in the field of economics based on the Journal of Economic Literature's subject classification. Provides access to the full text of selected journals including all American Economic Association journals. Coverage goes back to 1886.
Economist Intelligence UnitFeatures a single unified platform delivering country and regional reports and comparable data for over 200 countries. Politics, economics, the business environment and sector and industries are explained and forecasts presented. The data tab delivers time series on national accounts, monetary, demographic, trade, employment, debt & spending indicators to name a few.
Education Full Text (EBSCO)Indexes and abstracts journal articles, monographs, and yearbooks in the field of education. Provides full text access to selected education journals from 1994 to the present. Indexing goes back to 1983.
Federal Reserve BoardNews, research and data on banking and monetary policy from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.
NBER National Bureau of Economic Research"Founded in 1920, the National Bureau of Economic Research is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. The NBER is committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community." Excellent source for working papers and datasets.
Education Related Resources
ERIC (EBSCO)Indexes and abstracts education journals, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, books, and Department of Education (ED) research reports. References for ED research reports often have links to the full text. Coverage goes back to 1966. The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
Education Full Text (EBSCO)Indexes and abstracts journal articles, monographs, and yearbooks in the field of education. Provides full text access to selected education journals from 1994 to the present. Indexing goes back to 1983.
American Association of State Colleges and Universities, higher education state policy issuesThis policy brief series provides concise analysis of issues affecting public higher education.
Chronicle of Higher EducationProvides online access to current issues and archives back to 1989. Includes daily news, advice columns, current job listings, and discussion forums. The Chronicle is the leading weekly newspaper in higher education.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)Located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education.
U.S. Department of Education - Data & StatisticsEducation-related data and statistics
UNESCO Institute for Statistics - World Education IndicatorsGlobal and internationally comparable statistics on education, science, culture and communication.
Election Related Resources
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.
CQ Voting & Elections Collection (CQ Press)Offers data, authoritative analyses, concise explanations, and historical research on the American voter, political parties, campaigns, and elections. Includes candidate and office histories, seat status and competition, special elections, maps, bibliographies, chronology, and web links. Coverage goes back to 1789.
Comparative Study of Electoral SystemsThe CSES is a collaborative program of research among election study teams from around the world. The CSES project focuses on respondents’ behavior and attitudes during the time of a national election, with a special emphasis on voting and turnout. Data collection for each CSES Module (Module 1, 1996-2001) is five years in length. (Free registration required to download datasets.)
Federal Election Commission election results Congressional Procedures Rules and NormsFrom GovTrack.us, whose mission is to help Americans participate in their government, making information about the United States Congress accessible, understandable, and actionable for public use. GovTrack.us is a project of Civic Impulse, LLC
Environment Related Resources
4/1000 Initiative - Soils for Food Security and Climate - UNThe “4/1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security and Climate” aims to ensure that agriculture plays its part in combating climate change.
Climate stabilization targets emissions, concentrations, and impacts over decades to millennia - VU e-bookClimate Stabilization Targets emphasizes the importance of 21st century choices regarding long-term climate stabilization. It is a useful resource for scientists, educators and policy makers, among others. From - "Committee on Stabilization Targets for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Concentrations, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Division on Earth and Life Studies."
EPA - Climate Change IndicatorsPreviously reported findings about trends in climate change.
EPA- EnviroMapperEnviroMapper is a powerful tool used to map various types of environmental information, including air releases, drinking water, toxic releases, hazardous wastes, water discharge permits, and Superfund sites. Maps can be created at the national, state, and county levels.
GDELT ProjectSupported by Google, over a quarter-billion event records in over 300 categories covering the entire world from 1979 to present, along with a massive network diagram connecting every person, organization, location, theme and emotion.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Agency with a mission for the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the ocean, atmosphere, and related ecosystems; integration of research and analysis; observations and monitoring; and environmental modeling.
Paris Agreement - UNWhat it is and how it works.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)USGS is the sole science agency for the Department of the Interior. It's declared mission is to serve the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.
United Nations Environment StatisticsUN Statistics Division (UNSD) Environmental Indicators disseminate global environment statistics on ten indicator themes compiled from a wide range of data sources. The themes and indicator tables
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)A plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet:
UN - Climate Change Research GuideGuide to related sustainable development goals, major reports, books and journals.
UN - Development Research GuideGuide to UN Development goals by decade. Includes select UN data, statistics, publications and research guides.
World Resources InstituteWorld Resources Institute operates as a worldwide non-profit organization. The Organization offers services including global climate change issues, sustainable markets, ecosystem protection, and environmental responsible governance services. Here are listed projects, publications, maps & data.
Yale Program on Climate Change CommunicationConducts scientific studies on public opinion and behavior; inform the decision-making of governments, media, companies, and advocates; educate the public about climate change; and help build public and political will for climate action.
Health Related Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data & StatisticsData, reports and tools covering diseases and health monitored by the CDC
HealthData.govThis site is dedicated to making high value health data more accessible to entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy makers in the hopes of better health outcomes for all.
National Center for Health StatisticsWeb portal for U.S. public health statistics and surveys.
World Health Organization (WHO) - Data and statisticsResearch updates from WHO, the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.
Housing Related Resources
American Housing SurveyThe AHS is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey is the most comprehensive national housing survey in the United States.
Housing Data Census BureauPresents a comprehensive picture of housing in America through a wide range of data on the size, age and type of American homes; home values, rents and mortgages, the housing and construction industry, and more.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a U.S. government agency created in 1965 to support the housing market and home ownership and is charged with improving affordable home ownership opportunities and enforcing the Fair Housing Act.
Joint Center for Housing (Harvard Univ.)The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy.
Urban InstituteGathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government.
Hunger/Nutrition Related Resources
Feeding AmericaA domestic hunger-relief organization, working to connect people with food and end hunger.
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)FRAC is the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.
USDA - ERS - Food Environment AtlasThe objectives of the Atlas are:
- to assemble statistics on food environment indicators to stimulate research on the determinants of food choices and diet quality, and
- to provide a spatial overview of a community's ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.
USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)This link connects to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service key statistics and graphics about food security in the U.S. Search ERS generally for other research and analysis covering a broad range of economic and policy topics - https://www.ers.usda.gov/
USDA- ERS - Food Security DataProvides data access and technical support to social science scholars to facilitate their research on food security.
International Related Resources
European Social Survey (ESS)The European Social Survey (ESS) is a biennial cross-national survey of attitudes and behavior established in 2001. The ESS uses cross-sectional, probability samples which are representative of all persons aged 15 and over resident within private households in each country. The data is available either as a country-specific file or in an integrated international dataset, which includes data from all countries for a particular round. ESS data is available free of charge for non-commercial use and can be downloaded from this website after a short registration.
IMF Data FreeFreely available datasets from the International Monetary Fund. Must register and login with individual account before downloading data.
OECD iLibraryProvides full text access to the books, periodicals, working papers, and statistical publications produced by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1998. Also contains several statistical databases including Main Economic Indicators, International Trade by Commodity Statistics, and compendia of agriculture, education, environment, and social statistics.
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.
UN Data - country profilesThe United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched a new internet based data service for the global user community. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point (http://data.un.org/). Users can now search and download a variety of statistical resources of the UN system.
UN Data: a world of informationThe United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)provides search and download capability for a variety of statistical resources of the UN System.
World Bank - DataBank TutorialDataBank is an analysis and visualization tool that contains collections of time series data on a variety of topics. You can create your own queries; generate tables, charts, and maps; and easily save, embed, and share them.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: http://databank.worldbank.org/data/FAQ/Video/databank-tutorial-overview.html
World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI)"World Development Indicators (WDI) publication is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. The 2007 WDI includes more than 900 indicators." The WDI and GDF Online is owned and copyrighted by the World Bank and the users may not copy, reverse engineer, modify, decompile or disassemble WDI and GDF Online or its operating software. While every effort has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of WDI and GDF Online, the Bank does not warrant that the functions contained in WDI and GDF Online shall meet the users? requirements or that the operation of WDI Online shall be uninterrupted or error-free.
World Development Indicators DataBank (World Bank) World Development Indicators tables (World Bank)Provides time series data and more for over 200 countries covering economic, social, and environmental indicators.
Statistical, Data, Mapping Resources
Congressional Budget Office - TopicsCongressional Budget Office featured topics and policy options.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) ReportsCongressional Research Service (CRS) provides authoritative and confidential research and analysis for Congress' deliberative use.
Data.census.govData from the Census Bureau from 2010 through most recent releases, including the American Community Survey, the Decennial Census, and several other surveys conducted by the bureau.
General Social Survey (GSS)The only full-probability, personal-interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes currently being conducted in the United States. The GSS is NORC’s (at the University of Chicago) longest running project, and one of its most influential.
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.
PolicyMap TutorialOffers a tool for mapping and analyzing U.S. national data on a wide variety of topics including education, income, employment, public health, crime, housing, transit, and more. Researchers can conduct demographic and socioeconomic analyses on a variety of geographic levels, from the national level to the neighborhood census block group as well as custom regions. Time series data covers 2000 to present.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://www.policymap.com/support/
Population Reference BureauIts stated mission is to inform people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empower them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.
Quality of Government Institute DataA range of datasets available for free, a data visualization tool as well as some tips and hints on the use of the data.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (iPOLL) Tutorial Access InstructionsOffers public opinion poll data from surveys conducted in the U.S. and other countries by many major polling organizations. Includes the full text of questions and responses. Items with a green plus icon have crosstab breakdowns; those with an X have microdata available for download; while those with a green and blue star icon allow you to perform custom crosstab analysis online. Covers 1935 to the present, updated daily.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/roper-center-tools/video-tutorials
To download or analyze data online, each user needs to set up a free account.
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.
State of Cities Data Systems (SOCDS)Created by the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), SOCDS provides data for individual metropolitan areas, central cities, and suburbs.
StatistaProvides a portal to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources. Topics covered include industries, media, companies, product categories, and countries.
TracImmigrationThe Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) is a data gathering, data research and data distribution organization at Syracuse University. The purpose of TRAC is to provide comprehensive information about staffing, spending, and enforcement activities of the federal government.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)An independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, reliable information to help the government save money and work more efficiently.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics Polling/public opinion
Listed in this guide are general and selected political & international resources and journals related to polling and public opinion.
Conducting Lit. Reviews/Annotated Bibliographies
Literature reviews are data-gathering activities leading to a final synthesis of results. You may need to conduct a literature review to:
- Justify funding or identify funding sources
- Degree requirements
- Describe and explain current knowledge to guide professional practice
- Identify effective and development methods
- Identify experts in the field or new sources of information
- Personal research
Adapted from: Fink, A. (2014). Conducting research literature reviews: From the Internet to paper (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
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Learning how to write a literature review - tips from the University of Wisc. - Madison Writing Center
Chapter: Methods for Literature Reviews
Purdue OWL - Annotated Bibliographies
How to books at Falvey:
Doing a Literature Review in Health or Social Care (e-book)
Doing Your Literature Review
The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students
The Literature Review Six Step to Success
Cite & Evaluate Research
Citation Resources Guide from FalveyThis guide is designed to provide you with assistance in citing sources when writing an academic paper. There are several different styles which format information differently. The citation style generally depends on the academic discipline involved.
APSA Style Manual for Political Science Chicago Manual of Style OnlineThe 17th edition of the Manual is the most current. The online version includes a Citation Quick Guide with examples. The Library's website offers a short introduction and overview to the Notes and Bibliography System commonly used in the humanities.
Villanova Writing CenterThe Villanova Writing Center provides a comfortable atmosphere for your one-to-one session with a qualified tutor. Bring your paper, assignment, and an open mind and we'll do our best to help you improve your writing. Feel free to use our online resources, writing guide or 30-Minute Workshop handouts. The Writing Center is located in room 210 Falvey Library, and you can book an appointment using our appointment scheduler.
ZoteroFree Citation management tool supported by the Library
ZoteroBibZoteroBib is a website where you can create a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan is a free service available to all Villanova students, faculty, and staff. Researchers are encouraged to check the library homepage first to see if full-text articles are available from one of our many databases or other resources. Specific journal coverage can be checked in the Journal and Article Finder on the library homepage. This service can be used when an article, chapter or book or other item is not fully available or is only partially available. There is no guarantee that we will always be successful in obtaining the material requested. Some material may not be able to be scanned or loaned due to condition or institutional policy at the lending location.
EZBorrow and Interlibrary Loan
Journal Finder
EZBorrow and Interlibrary LoanInterlibrary loans are only available for books and journals which are not owned by Falvey. The EZBorrow service can be used for books which the library owns, but which are currently checked out. EZBorrow books are provided by a local library network and tend to arrive faster than interlibrary loans.
Journal FinderUse this link to locate journals or specific articles that may be available via Falvey Library.
