Differences between books and articles
Books provide background on your topic and help to lay the foundation and history of an issue. It can be good to start with a book's introduction to get an idea of the development and context of your topic. It takes longer to publish books so they might not represent the most up-to-the-minute information.
Scholarly articles often examine a more precise aspect of a topic and show a very narrow perspective on a topic. They may take less time to produce than books and can represent more current thinking about the major issues surrounding your topic. They also may be peer-reviewed, which means that experts in the field have examined the authors' methodology and conclusions and judged them to be solid and accurate.
Other sources used in political science research may include datasets and think tank and government reports. These materials may be more current and represent the most current analysis and data. You may also find primary resources such as newspapers, autobiographies, and archival materials useful. The sources and search tools you use depend on your question and subject matter. You can consult with your professor or a librarian for help.
Search specific databases
The library provides access to more than one hundred databases.
Databases such as JSTOR, Sage Journals, and the library's EBSCO articles search are tools to find scholarly articles related to topics in political science.
Other databases, such as Statista, provide data. A search for a country name in Statista will return current data about the country and its economy. It may also include data about historical topics.
EBSCO and Hein Online include law review articles for analysis of US laws and legal opinions.
- Sage Journals This link opens in a new windowIncludes over 1,100 full-text journals with coverage of a wide range of subject areas, as well as journals published on behalf of over 500 scholarly and professional societies. 1999 to present.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowNexis Uni (previously called LexisNexis Academic) provides access to more than 17,000 news, business and legal sources. Includes news sources in the U.S. and abroad, information on businesses and industries, and legal documents such as U.S. Federal and State court cases and law review articles.
- Hein Online This link opens in a new windowIncludes law journals, legal research materials, Supreme Court documents, US government and congressional documents, treaties, presidential papers, constitutions, US code, and federal regulations. Additional collections include the Pentagon Papers, Slavery in America, and Foreign Relations of the US.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowIncludes a range of statistics and reports related to marketing and business. Provides consumer outlook surveys, industry reports, country reports, market studies, and company information.
- Historical New York Times This link opens in a new windowNew York Times from 1851 to 2018. For recent issues, use New York Times Digital Edition or Nexis Uni.
- New York Times Digital Edition This link opens in a new windowAccess requires creating an individual account. Register for an individual account with your Salve email address and any password that you choose. Once registered, users can login to the New York Times website and access digital content both on and off campus, including the NYT app. For those with an existing personal subscription that uses their Salve email in the login, please first cancel your personal subscription, in order to make a new subscription possible under that email. Users who get an error message of "access unavailable" when trying to register should first cancel any personal NYT account (if applicable), then use an incognito/private browser window to register, or clear their browser's cookies before registering, or use a different browser to register. Any user who has problems creating an account should try using an incognito/private browser window to sign up. Content is from 1851 to present, but for articles from 1923-1980, users are limited to view and/or download 5 PDFs per 24-hour period. See also the database Historical New York Times for unlimited access to articles from 1851 to 2018. Does not include e-reader editions, Cooking, Wirecutter, the Athletic, Premium Crosswords, Times Insider, or NYT Crossword app. NYT app is not supported on all devices. Once a year, users will be asked to re-verify their account by going to the registration link and re-activating their access.
Finding Articles in Law Review Journals
Law review articles analyze topics in law. Harvard University offers an excellent description of law review articles and their usefulness.
Salve offers law review articles in HeinOnline, EBSCOhost, Nexis Uni, and JSTOR. See below for more information on how to find law review articles in each database:
HeinOnline: click on "Law Journal Library" and enter your search terms in the search box.
EBSCO from the article search on the library's homepage.
Enter your search words in the search box, then, if you get a good number of results, enter "law" in the box under your search words, and change the drop down to "SO source". This isn't foolproof -- you may miss some journals which don't have "law" in the title or get some sources that aren't law journals, but it's a good way to search for law journals across a lot of EBSCO databases.
Nexis Uni: Click on "Law Reviews" on the homepage and enter your search terms.
JSTOR: Type your search words in the search box, then limit by subject "Law". See the video below for a quick tutorial.
Research activity for POL 372
Other helpful guides
- Political ScienceProvides a range of excellent resources for getting started with your research, from top Political Science related journals to an array of online sources, from Think Tanks to government-based sources.
- International RelationsFind books, articles and websites on topics related to international relations.
- Research & WritingThis guide will help you develop your research and writing skills by providing foundational knowledge of the iterative research and writing process as well as manageable steps for breaking down and navigating college research projects.