Library Guides: PSC 4700 Capstone in Political Science and Public Policy: Find Research

Literature Reviews

Literature reviews are critical evaluations of published scholarship. Use the library databases to find scholarly articles on your topic. See the Library's guide on literature reviews linked below for information on researching and writing a literature review.

Literature Reviews Guide

Political Science and Public Policy Databases

PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Subjects: energy resources and policy, law, human rights, international studies, political science
Content: index of journals, books, conference papers
Publication date: 1915 – present
This resource covers issues in the public debate through selective coverage of a wide variety of international sources including journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more. PAIS International is the current file covering 1972 to present, and PAIS Archive includes the content from printed volumes published 1915-1976. (PAIS Index contains both PAIS International and PAIS Archive.)
Policy File Index This link opens in a new window
Subjects: economics, law, international studies, political science, social work
Content: reports
Publication date: 1990 – present
Policy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research. Users are able to access timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.
Political Science Complete This link opens in a new window
Subjects: gender studies, history, international studies, political science
Content: journals, books, conference papers
Publication date: 1965 – present
Politics Collection This link opens in a new window
Subjects: international studies, political science
Content: full-text and index to journals, working papers, conference proceedings, country reports, policy papers
Publication date: 1914 – present
This collection provides access to renowned databases such as PAIS and WPSA, covering the international literature in political science and public administration/policy, along with related fields. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full text coverage of journal articles, country reports, dissertations, think-tank reports, working papers, government documents and more, including full-text from many leading political science and international relations journals.
Social Science Premium Collection This link opens in a new window
Subjects: anthropology, criminology, education, linguistics, library science, nursing, politics, public policy, social work, sociology
Content: full-text and index of journals, dissertations, ebooks, working and conference papers, etc.
Publication date: 1914 – present
This collection provides access to databases covering international literature in social sciences, including politics, public policy, sociology, social work, anthropology, criminology, linguistics, library science, and education. Featured databases include IBSS, Sociological Abstracts and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full-text coverage of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, and more.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Subjects: criminal justice, gender studies, latino studies, political science, psychology, social work, sociology
Content: journals, magazines, books, conference proceedings
Publication dates: 1908 – present

Search Tips

Keywords

Identify keywords for your topic and brainstorm narrower, broader, and related terms.

Example: Factors that affect academic performance in first-generation college students.

Academic Performance	College	First-Generation Students
Student Success	Higher Education	Children of Immigrants
Student Achievement	University	Minority Students
Learning Outcomes	Community College	Nontraditional Students

Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators AND, OR, and NOT allow you to broaden or narrow your results in the library catalog and databases. You can easily use these to clarify what you need by choosing the advanced search option.

Found too many results?

Add more keywords.

Adding additional keywords to your search can help to further narrow your topic.

Example: college AND first-generation students AND academic performance

Use a filter

Look on the left side for ways you can filter your materials. Here are a few to consider, depending on your needs.

material type - such as a book, newspaper article, or review
peer-reviewed - to find scholarly articles
date - typically to find the most current materials
subject - to find articles about a certain topic

Found too few results?

Try different search terms.

What other words could you use to describe this concept? Brainstorm related terms, synonyms, and slightly different forms of your word or phrase. Also brainstorm broader categories or concepts it belongs to, as well as narrower elements or examples. (See the keywords section above for examples.)

It may also be useful to consider the official, academic, or formal way to write that term. This is more likely to be used in academic writing.

Use fewer search terms.

Sometimes less is more! The more words, phrases, or subjects you ask the database to find, the fewer sources will meet the criteria.

Use OR.

Broaden your search by using the boolean operator OR to link your terms.

Example: (college OR higher education OR university) AND first-generation students AND (academic performance OR student success)