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Public Policy

Guide to resources for government, public policy, and public administration.

Getting Started

Here are some tips to get you started on the research assignments for this class.

Whether you're on campus or online, the Langsdale Library is your source for the very best research information. Check out Library Resources - The Basics.

To find journal articles for your assignments, get your library barcode (at the library or online), and search one of the following online databases:

Academic Search Premier
Coverage: 1990 - present. Provides full-text for over 3,400 scholarly journals covering the social sciences, humanities, education, sciences, and more.
Public Affairs Index
Covers all aspects of national and global contemporary public policy issues.

For an easy guide to how to master the databases, check out the Academic Search Premier Visual Guide.

Have questions about finding information for this class? Ask your librarian!

Topic Overviews

Resources for finding and narrowing topics in public policy:

  • CQ Researcher [on-campus]
    • Reports on controversial issues.  Presents both sides of an issue.
  • Open CRS
    • Reports written to give members of Congress a nonpartisan overview of a topic.
  • Congressional Hearings
    • Search or browse previous Congressional hearings, to see examples of Congressional testimony.

Finding Journal Articles

Here is a list of Databases recommended to find journal articles in this field.

Here are some other Databases that might also help:

For easy guides on to how to successfully search for journal articles, check out the Academic Search Premier Visual Guide (which works for most of the other databases, too) and the Google Scholar Guide.

Have a specific article you need to find?  Try the library's Journal Finder.

Need an article or book that the Langsdale Library doesn't own?  Try Interlibrary Loan.  It's fast, free, and online!

Get help from a librarian