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The following guide will assist with public policy research using electronic resources. The sections cover important sources for each research area.
Topic/Background Information | Scholarly Sources | Government Information and Interest Groups| Data and Statistical Resources | Other Resource Guides from KU Libraries | Citing Your Sources
Finding a Topic/Background Information
Use the following sources to find public policy topics or background information. Reference sources, such as encyclopedias, can be excellent sources for familiarizing yourself with a topic. News sources and think tanks are useful for finding learning about regional issues and media coverage of different public policies. The following are suggested reference and news sources:
America’s Newspapers (KU Libraries)
Find coverage of local and national newspapers from all 50 states. Good starting point for learning about what topics are in the news around the country.
CQ Public Affairs Collection (KU Libraries)
Reference tool for finding in-depth information on current issues. Find primary sources, statistics, and historical analyses.
CQ Weekly (KU Libraries)
Nonpartisan weekly publication about current issues in Congress. Find current bills/issues. Search by keyword, floor vote, or browse by issue date, topic, or latest votes. Coverage 1983-present.
PolicyFile : public policy research and analysis (KU Libraries)
Provides online access to abstracts to policy papers and grey literature from think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and publishers. Some full-text available.
PolicyArchive
Open-access depository of public policy research. Materials include Congressional Research Service reports and think tank reports.
Use scholarly sources that analyze public policy topics. Also look at citations within these articles to assist with further research by finding more scholarly articles, public laws, bills, and legal cases.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (KU Libraries)
Search scholarly journals in political science, pubic administration and policy, and international relations. Coverage from 1975-present.
Lexis-Nexis Academic-Legal Research (KU Libraries)
Law Reviews contain scholarly/legal analysis of public policy and are great for finding citations to primary sources (e.g., bills, public laws, legal cases, etc.). To use, select the "legal" tab at top of the page.
Academic Search Premier (KU Libraries)
Academic Search Premier (ASP) contains indexing and abstracts for more than 8,200 journals, with full text for more than 4,500 of those titles.
J-Stor (KU Libraries)
Find full-text articles from core academic journals. A good source for scholarly materials, however, the most current issues for each to journal are from 3-5 years ago. Limit search to “public policy & public administration” and “political science” journals for more relevant results.
KU Catalog (KU Libraries)
Find books and other resources about public policy or topic of the policy being researched.
Evaluating resources
"Critical Evaluation of Resources." University of California Berkeley Library
Guide to evaluating different kinds of resouces, including scholarly articles and web sites.
"Periodicals by Type." University of Buffalo Libraries.
Chart listing different aspects for evaluating scholarly journals, professional/trade journals, newspapers, and popular news sources. Use as a quick reference guide to determine what kind of resource you are using.
"Critically Analyzing Information Sources." Cornell University Library.
Guide to criteria for evaluating sources. Publication date, publisher, writing style, and intended audience are covered.
Finding Government Information and Interest Group Information
Looking at government information, such as agency reports and legislative histories, can assist with understanding how policy came about and how it was implemented. Also looking at materials by/about Interest groups can be important for understanding the development of public policy.
CQ Congress Collection (KU Libraries)
Resources that provides an analytical survey of the historic and current legislation. Use the “Policy and Analysis and Legislative Votes” section in the toolbox to find policy analysis and voting records.
Lexis-Nexis Congressional (KU Libraries)
Search for voting records, bills sponsored, floor statements, and financial disclosures for all candidates who are current or past members of Congress.
Library of Congress’s Thomas
Open-access web site includes bills/resolutions, the Congressional Record, committee reports, and legislative histories.
GPO Access
Access various government information sources, including: the United States Code, Federal Register, and Presidential materials.
Public Documents Masterfile (KU Libraries)
Index to United States federal government covering over 200 years.
Intergovernmental Organizations Search Engine
Custom search engine available through Indiana University. Search over 390 IGO sites (ex: United Nations) for international information on public policy.
Center for Responsive Politics
Non-partisan research organization that follows money in politics and how it relates to public policy. Find individual donors, Congress and executive agencies, contributions by and to Political Action Committees (PACS). Use the "quick links" to view who contributed to an individual political candidate.
LobbyWatch [Center for Public Integrity]
Independent organization dedicated to researching public issues.
Data and Statistical Resources
Use to statistics for further analysis and support arguments.
Lexis-Nexis Statistical (KU Libraries)
Includes statistics compiled by the U.S. government, state government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, business organizations, and independent research organizations.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
FedStats
Portal for US government statistics- good source for students to use to identify specific agencies (i.e. Bureau of Labor Statistics) that they can search specifically.
American FactFinder
Find basic demographic, social and economic data on your city, town, county, or zip code. Also find information on housing, business's, and government.
U.S. Census Bureau
Find state population profiles based on the latest census figures, census maps, and information about the Census Bureau. Available information includes: demographics, economic, and business.
UNdata (KU Libraries)
Portal that retrieves data series from the United Nations System and other international organizations. Sources include FAO, ILO, WHO, and the Human Development Report.
WDI Online (World Development Indicators) (KU Libraries)
Provides current data on global social and economic conditions and developments, both on a national country level and aggregated on a global basis.
Other Resource Guides from KU Libraries
The following are examples of subject-specific resource guides that are useful for researching specific topics (i.e. education policy, environmental policy, and economic policy).
Business Databases | Business Web Sites
Economics Databases | Economics Web Sites
Education Databases | Education Web Sites
Environmental Studies Databases | Environmental Studies Web Sites
Government Information Databases | Government Information Web Sites
Human Sexuality Databases
Political Science Databases | Political Science Web Sites
Public Administration Databases | Public Administration Web Sites
Statistics and Data sets Databases | Statistics and Data sets Web Sites
Social Welfare Databases | Social Welfare Web Sites
Sociology Databases | Sociology Web Sites
Women's Studies Databases | Women's Studies Web Sites
KU Libraries Citation Web Site
Contains links to citation guides for all styles, KU Writing Center, and locations for print manuals.
For questions or comments:
Amalia Monroe, Political Science Librarian
almonroe@ku.edu
(785)864-3362
Last Updated: 4/01/09
Originally compiled by MSH (2007)
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