Librarian
Quick Picks
Welcome! This research guide provides starting points for research in the field of Political Science. On this page you can find quick picks for frequently used political science resources. Check out specific topics in the menu on the left. For general help getting started with research, try our step-by-step guide here.
Journals and Databases
- Hein Online This link opens in a new windowLegal documents, cases, law reviews, and historical documents.
- World Politics Review This link opens in a new window
Written by leading experts and on-the-ground reporters, World Politics Review's coverage extends beyond current headlines. WPR covers the entire world consistently, including issues and regions that other publications ignore, and it makes connections between discrete events and the larger global trends that are driving them. WPR examines countries and regions on their own terms, going beyond the standard Western-centric lens on global politics.
World Politics Review includes multiple areas of study, with thousands of articles in its archives and more than 50,000 words of original content produced each month. This robust and authoritative database covers topics of key relevance to foreign policy, international politics and foreign affairs.
- Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Provides overviews and point/counterpoint arguments on hundreds of current issues. Includes essays from leading newspapers and magazines across the political spectrum, radio and TV news transcripts, primary source documents, and reference books.
- Annual Review of Political ScienceThe Annual Review of Political Science covers significant developments in the field of Political Science including political theory and philosophy, international relations, political economy, political behavior, American and comparative politics, public administration and policy, and methodology.
Search Strategies
You can find relevant materials by using a number of different keywords. When searching through databases, try out multiple keywords to see what gets you the results you want. Using " " around phrases with multiple words will keep concepts together (so you don't get results that only include "critical" or "race", for example).
Search Term Suggestions:
"political science" government globalization politics
You can pair these keywords with the specific topic of your research using the connector AND:
women AND politics "political science" AND economics globalization AND "public health"
Don't be discouraged if you don't find exactly what you want on the first try. Searching often takes many iterations of keywords to get right. Try it out for yourself below!
Books
The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions by Call Number: JA66 .O97 2009ISBN: 9780199548460Publication Date: 2008-08-15The study of political institutions is among the founding pillars of political science. With the rise of the 'new institutionalism', the study of institutions has returned to its place in the sun. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of where we are in the study of political institutions, covering both the traditional concerns of political science with constitutions, federalism and bureaucracy and more recent interest in theory and the constructed nature of institutions. The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions draws together a galaxy of distinguished contributors drawn from leading universities across the world. Authoritative reviews of the literature and assessments of future research directions will help to set the research agenda for the next decade.
Handbook of Human Rights by Call Number: JC571 .H34755 2012ISBN: 9781138019478Publication Date: 2013-12-17In mapping out the field of human rights for those studying and researching within both humanities and social science disciplines, the Handbook of Human Rights not only provides a solid foundation for the reader who wants to learn the basic parameters of the field, but also promotes new thinking and frameworks for the study of human rights in the twenty-first century. The Handbook comprises over sixty individual contributions from key figures around the world, which are grouped according to eight key areas of discussion: foundations and critiques; new frameworks for understanding human rights; world religious traditions and human rights; social, economic, group, and collective rights; critical perspectives on human rights organizations, institutions, and practices; law and human rights; narrative and aesthetic dimension of rights; geographies of rights. In its presentation and analysis of the traditional core history and topics, critical perspectives, human rights culture, and current practice, this Handbook proves a valuable resource for all students and researchers with an interest in human rights.- 21st Century Political Science byISBN: 9781412979351Publication Date: 2010-01-01Offering full coverage of major subthemes and subfields within political science this reference handbook includes entries on topics from theory and methodology to international relations and institutions.
