LibGuides: PUBPOL 301: Strategies

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Subject Guide

Contact:

ryan.denniston@duke.edu

Perkins 233
PO Box 90175
Durham, NC 27708

Subjects: Government & Law, International Relations, Non-governmental and Inter-Governmental Organizations (NGOs & IGOs), Political Science, Public Policy, Public Policy & Political Science, Social Sciences, Sociology

Article Databases

US Law and Politics

Congress.gov
Search for current and past legislation.

National Journal
Weekly journal covering national policy and politics.

CQ Congress Collection This link opens in a new window
Search the following content:
- Floor Votes: Exportable roll call votes included from 1969 to the present
- Member Profiles: Comprehensive biographies for every member of Congress from 1945 to the present
- Data Analysis: Tools to analyze voting alignment, interest group ratings, voting scores, and more
- How Congress Works: Encyclopedic information on the history, operations, and procedures of Congress
- Entries from Congress and the Nation, as well as other CQ Press Reference series titles
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Search across historic and current congressional information. Includes full text of congressional publications, finding aids, a bill tracking service, public laws and other research materials from the US government

International Coverage, Including US

Political Science Complete This link opens in a new window
Search for journal articles in political science and public policy
PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Search articles, government documents, and grey literature related to international politics and public policy
CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new window
Search for scholarship on theory and research in international affairs; includes NGO publications
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Search for news, business, legal, medical, and congressional information. Note: formerly named Lexis Nexis Academic.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Search a collection of important scholarly journals representing a range of disciplines.

Research Log

Library Research Log
Save time & frustration by recording your search strategies.

From the Start: record and refine your search strategies by keeping a research log (ex. below); saving your search histories in databases; and/or taking screen shots of your searches.

Remember to cite sources as you go.

Strategies for your memos

Finding & Evaluating Sources

Start with an overview of your issue by searching for news and scholarly analysis with the databases listed throughout this guide. To explore other databases:

Click on the Databases tab from the Libraries homepage. Enter database name or use the Browse by Subject function. Tips:

Click on “more details” to learn more about the database
You will be led to the catalog entry for a database. Do not use the search box on that page; click to get to the specific database's interface.
When you find citations in the database, use the get it @ Duke button to find electronic full-text

Understand how the US government works--see the US Govt. tab for some refresher sources, esp. the Legislative Process guide

Google smart:

Add site:.gov to restrict your Google search to US government sites.

Use Google Search Tips: Notice how similar the advanced strategies are to those used in databases!

Use the Think Tanks search engine on the interest groups page of this guide.

For books and more:

Use the Duke Libraries catalog to search for print and reference sources

Tips

Click Advanced Search to search by format, library, etc.
e-books are activated faster in the e-books list than in the catalog--click the link under the catalog search box.

Dig deeper see my Public Policy subject guide (linked from my profile here), and the Related Guides tab in it.