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Political Science
Contact Information
Welcome to University Libraries: How to Guides and Videos
- SHU Libraries "How to" GuideA wealth of help in navigating our rich resources.
- How to Find BooksHow to search for and find books at SHU Libraries
- How to use SHUsearchHow to find articles and more using the library's easy search box.
- All tutorials on how to use the libraryHow to borrow books or articles from other libraries, and more
Getting Started
Political science and public affairs encompass a wide range of study. As you begin your research, think about what topic(s) you are searching and which categories they correspond to: Criminal Justice, Culture and Society, Economic Issues, Education, Environment, Government Operations, Health, Social Welfare, World: Foreign Affairs and National Security. You may also want to review the United Nations and Public Administration Guides. Find the links to these Guides in the profile box on the left side of this page.
Use the catalog to help narrow down your search terms to a topic and a subtopic, such as france -- politics and government. Are you looking for a particular time period or political figure? Ask yourself questions. It is just as important to figure out what information you do NOT need as well as the information you DO need.
Featured Resources
- The Role of Nonprofit Media in a Vibrant Civil SocietyWatch this Council on Foundations program.
- Political TV Ad Archive (Internet Archive)Searchable, viewable, and shareable online archive of 2016 primary election political TV ads
- Sunlight FoundationNational, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses the tools of civic tech, open data, policy analysis and journalism to make government and politics more accountable and transparent to all.
- Think Tank Search (Harvard's Kennedy School)A Google Custom Search of more than 1200 think tanks and research centers.
Need Help? Ask us!
Call the reference desk
973-761-9437
Submit your questions
to Ask Us!
Stop by Reference:
Library, second floor
Interlibrary Loan
If you need a resource that University Libraries does not subscribe to, we can help. Articles are ordered through our ILLIAD system and are often available free of charge within 24 hours. A pdf will be deposited in your library account. Go to ILLIAD to order an article.
Search Tips
Yes, you can google, but try these strategies to improve your search skills:
- Use Advanced Search with AND, OR, NOT (Boolean searching)
- “ “ (quotation marks) will narrow search to ONLY words contained within quotation marks
- For primary sources, intermingle search terms with letters, memoirs, oral history, diaries, finding aid
- Use a variety of search terms appropriate for the time period you are researching
- Different databases use varied terminology
- Use left or right side limiters in databases to broaden or narrow search
- Use bibliographies for citation chasing