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Political Science Methodology

APOL 316; Prof. J. M. Teigen
Guide for finding sources at the George T. Potter Library
 

March 6 & 9, 2006

Susan B. Kurzmann

skurzman@ramapo.edu

 I. Library Homepage: http://library.ramapo.edu

• Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.

II. Finding Books at the Potter Library

• Catalog: use this to find books, periodical titles (NOT articles ), government documents, reserve items, music,and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.

• Use the Basic Search to find material using Keywords
  • For example: search for "right to privacy" or right and privacy to locate a broad range of materials the library has on these keywords
  • When you find an appropriate title, click on the Related Records tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are discussed in that particular book/DVD/periodical

OR

• Search the catalog using Subject Browse feature if you know the relevant Library of Congress subject heading
  • For example:
    • Political science--Methodology
    • Political statistics
    • Comparative government--Methodology
    • Public institutions
    • Democracy--United States
    • Political Culture--United States
  Tips

1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
2. If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Related Records tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
3. Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.

III. Finding Online Documents and Books

Documents Without Shelves Collection: Online access to U.S. documents and books via the online catalog

.

• Scroll down the Quick limit menu (left-hand side of screen) to select Online material, and enter your search term.
  • Your results will include Documents Without Shelves items and any other online material, i.e., e-books and databases
• For Documents Without Shelves items only, go to More Limits (right-hand side of screen), and scroll down the Location Bar to select Documents Without Shelves
  • Your results will now include only Documents Without Shelves items
  • This collection includes U.S. Government publications ranging from one-page reports to 300-page books
  • Books will be accessible by chapter or section
  • Tip Don't click on print until you're sure of what you're printing!

IV. Reference Material

• The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
• Some useful materials for your projects:

Dictionaries
The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science	Ref JA 61.B43 1999
Brewer's Politics: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary	Ref JA 61.C663 1993
Dictionary of Political Science Methods	Ref JA 73.G36
Dictionary of Political Thought	Ref JA 61.S37
Encyclopedias and Handbooks
The Blackwell Encylopaedia of Political Institutions	RefJA 61.B56 1987
The Blackwell Encylopaedia of Political Thought	Ref JA   61.B57 1987
The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Political Thought	Ref JA 83.C25 2003
Encyclopedia of Democracy	Ref JC 423.E53 1995
Encyclopedia of Government and Politics	Ref JA 61.C66 2004
Handbook of Political Science Methods	Ref JA 73.G36 1976
Political Philosophy: Theories, Thinkers, Concepts	Ref JA 71.N68
The Student Political Scientist's Handbook	Ref JA 86.M4
United States
America at the Polls	Ref JK 524 .M33 2001
America Votes	Ref JK 1967.A8
The Dorsey Dictionary of American Government and Politics	Ref JK 9.S42 1988
Encyclopedia of American Public Policy	Ref JK 468.P64 J33 1999
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations	Ref JK 468.C7 E5 2005
The HarperCollins Dictionary of American Government and Politics	Ref JK 9.S43 1992
Ethics in U.S. Government: An Encyclopedia of Investigations, Scandals, Reforms, and Legislation	Ref JK 468.E7 R556 2001
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States	Print edition: Ref J 80 .A283
Real Life Dictionary of American Politics: What They're Saying and What It Really Means	Ref JK 9 .H55 1994
Statistical Abstract of the United States	Ready Reference HA 202 .U5 2006
The United States Government Manual	Print edition: Ref JK  421.A3 2004/2005
Vital Statistics on American Politics 2003-2004	Ref JK 274 .S74 2003
Additional material
PAIS International in Print	Reference Index Tables

V. Electronic Resources

• Some useful Databases for your projects:

Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.

Tips

1. Always switch to the Advanced Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
2. Always use Boolean Operators-AND, OR, NOT and Quotation Marks when running a search. For Example: democracy and (realist or realism) and critique OR (democracy or "political science") and "human rights"
3. Always check your Spelling if the database results are zero.
4. Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link, if available, to find the best terms to use in a database.

Useful Websites

• Check Subject Resources links under Political Science and Statistical Information

• Political Information: A Search Engine for Politics, Policy and Political News

• U.S. Census Bureau   Includes information from Census 2000

• FEDSTATS   Statistics from more than100 U.S. Federal agencies

• InfoNation:  Draws on information found in the United Nations Statistics division publications
  
• Political Science - American Politics:  Northwestern University - Links to many websites

• Working Papers of Political Science:  For current works-in-progress or links to recently published articles

• American Rhetoric Speech Bank  Provides access to audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, and other recorded media events

• History and Politics Out Loud  A searchable archive of politically significant audio materials

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• American Diplomacy: Foreign Service Despatches and Periodic Reports on United States Foreign Policy

• Budget of the United States Government  1997-Present

• Bureau of Justice Statistics

• County and City Data Books:  Geostat Center – University of Virginia

• FRED  Federal Reserve Economic Data

• FIRST  Facts on International Relations and Security Trends

Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources for "Works Cited" citation style guidance

Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"

Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574

Use QandA NJ: a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.