PLS 201: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE METHODS Beth Kaylor.
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Transcript of PLS 201: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE METHODS Beth Kaylor.
PLS 201: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE METHODS
Beth Kaylor
Topics for the Sessions
Selecting the right information sources Selecting the right finding aids Accessing resources Creating better searches Locating full-text
Your Current Research Skills
How would you rate your current research skills? Strong? Satisfactory? Needs improvement? Poor?
What causes you the most anxiety/confusion/frustration?
Where to get Help!
Learning Commons Help Desk In person Telephone Email Chat Text
By appointment Contact me directly: [email protected]
Where do you Search?
What are your favorite finding aids (search engines) for: Background information? News/Opinion data? Scholarly Analysis/Theory? Primary Source? Data?
My Favorites (for PLS)
Background Information CQ Electronic Library CQ Political Reference Suite World FactBook Library Catalog WorldCat
News/Opinion sources Lexis Nexis Academic Points of View Reference Center
My Favorites (for PLS)
Scholarly Analysis/Theory Academic Search Complete Jstor Public Affairs Information Service Worldwide Political Science Abstracts Google Scholar CIAO (International Affairs) Library Catalog Worldcat
My Favorites (for PLS)
Primary Sources Hein Online Lexis Nexis Congressional Library Catalog WorldCat FDSys
Data ICPSR Statistical Abstract of the United States Polling the Nations
Selecting the Right Finding Aids Database Scope
Bibliographic or Data? Publication Types and Numbers Subjects Time period (publication or subject)
Search Engine/Structure Abstract or Full-text search Special Limit features
Subject Pages
Each discipline has a subject page Place to start Suggestions for resources Not sure where to go
Provides ideas for the next steps Several ways to search Contact information for a librarian
Library Home Page Click on More eResources by subject Choose PIA
Finding Books
Library Catalog Local and UNCP/FSU
WorldCat 9,000 libraries / @1.3 billion items
Google Books (@12 million/ @ 7million full-text)
Project Gutenberg (@ 42,000 free books) Some databases lead to books
Cited Directly Book reviews
Searching the Catalog
What exactly does the catalog search? What we own What we have access to
What is not in the catalog? Articles
Let’s try a Search!
Where? Library Catalog Topic?
DREAM Act Development, Relief, and Education for Alien
Minors Key words? Synonyms?
Finding Articles
Integrated Search (home page article search) 10 databases out of @ 200
Databases A-Z Individual databases Details Page
Databases by subject Quick Search (integrated Search) Individual Databases (Best, More, All)
Citation Searching (Bibliographies)
Let’s try a Search!
Database Academic Search Complete
Research topic? DREAM Act Development, Relief, and Education for
Alien Minors
Making our Searches Better
Using AND, OR and NOT
AND Narrows
OR expands
NOT eliminates a word
Part 2
PLS 201
Improving a Search
AND - All terms are present. AND is the best way to narrow down your search by limiting your results to only those resources (articles or books) which deal with your chosen words.
“political parties” AND polarization polarizati
on“political parties”
Improving a Search
OR - Any one of the terms are present (more than one term may be present).
republican OR democrat
republican democrat
Improving a Search
Truncation Typically use * Polari* = polarization, polarizing polarity Use judiciously
Does not always help: Part* = part, party, participation (Party OR Parties) is better in this situation
Phrase Searching Political Parties = political AND parties “Political Parties” = Political [next to] parties
Putting it all together…
Politic* OR Parties OR Party AND Congress AND polari* OR partisan*
One line strategy:
(Politic* OR Parties OR Party) AND (polari* OR partisan*) AND Congress
Choosing the Correct Database Library home page
More eResources/Databases by Name A-Z Subject Type More…
Details links
Saving/Sending
Ebsco Add to folder – don’t forget to save or send
results PDFs sent as email attachments
ProQuest Check box to mark for
emailing/printing/saving Jstor
Email citation Save PDF
Availability of Resources
PDF full text, linked full text, HTML full text
Get it From UNCW Looking for a journal, newspaper, or
magazine? Already have a citation? Library Catalog and WorldCat Interlibrary Loan
Do we have…?
Beckman, M. N. & Mcgann, A. J. 2008. “Navigating the Legislative Divide: Polarization, Presidents and Policymaking in the United States.” Journal of Theoretical Politics, 20: 201-220.
Where to search? How?
Do we have…?
Theriault, Sean M. 2008. Party Polarization in Congress. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Where to search? How?
Do we have…?
Karol, David. 2010. “Party Polarization in Congress.” Perspectives on Politics, 8: 1242-1243.
Where to search? How?
Do we have…?
Sinclair. Barbara. 2006. Party Wars: Polarization and the Politics of National Policy Making. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Where to search? How?
Do we have…?
Forgette, Richard and Marvin King. 2009. “Electoral Cycles in Racial Polarization and the 2006 Senate Elections.” In Beyond the Boundaries: A New Structure of Ambition in African American Politics, ed. Georgia A. Pearsons. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 111-122.
Where to search? How?
Government Documents
Widely varied collection By law have to be made available Agencies, subagencies Subscription Databases
Proquest Congressional Hein Online Catalog of Government Publications
Government Documents
Much of the data we use comes from government sources. Primary sources for political science research
FDSys Code of Federal Regulations Compilation of Presidential Documents Congressional Bills Congressional Documents Congressional Hearings Congressional Record Congressional Reports Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretat
ion Economic Indicators Federal Register Public and Private Laws United States Code United States Courts Opinions
Interlibrary Loan
Randall Library can borrow materials from other libraries for you. Articles – a few days Books – week to two weeks
Brief tutorial on how to use ILLiad
Specialized Resources
Specialized Resources for:
Statistics Data Congressional Votes Congressional Documents Country Profiles/International Relations Polling Data Statutes See the Research Guide
Statistics
Statistical Abstract of the United States The Statistical Abstract of the United States,
published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
FedStats.gov FedStats provides access to the full range of
official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic.
Data
ICPSR Inter University Consortium for Political and Social
Research An international consortium of about 700 academic
institutions and research organizations, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community.
ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction.
maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
Currently only available on campus
Congressional Votes
CQ Almanac Online Navigate with ease through 60 years of congressional
coverage Access tables, graphs, and charts that help explain
the issues Browse by subject, decade, or by a particular year's
table of contents Use Policy Tracker to explore a specific policy topic
and see how it has changed over the years Save useful documents or frequent searches for
future consultation Automatically generate citations in four styles with
CQ Press's CiteNow! Feature Date Coverage: 1945 - 2010
Congressional Documents
Hearings Lexis Nexis Congressional Library Catalog – print and online
Debate on the Floor Hein Online FDSys – Congressional Record
Country Profiles/International Relations
World Fact Book Statesman’s Yearbook CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) Randall Library
Find Research Guides Country Information
Country Studies – Profiles Country Studies – Statistics
Polling Data
Polling the Nations a unique compilation of questions and responses from
more than 12,000 national, state, local and special surveys, conducted by 700 polling organizations in the United States and 70 other countries from 1986 through the present.
covers over 4,000 subjects, from social and political concerns to economic issues. Information is gathered from professional polling organizations, television networks, universities, newspapers, businesses and associations.
PollingReport.com An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in
American public opinion.
Statutes
Lexis Nexis Academic Use the US Legal search box Federal Statutes, Codes and Regulations Searchable by keyword
FDsys.gov Randall Library
General Statutes Statutes at Large
Evaluating Information
Evaluating Information
One of the most important components of research
Better information = better product Not all information is timely, accurate or
appropriate
Be a CRITIC
C – claim of the author
R – role of the claimant
I – information backing the claim
T – test the claim
I – intent/intended audience
C – your conclusion about the item
Questions?
Need help? Library home page – get help Email me! [email protected] Drop by! RL 1043
Thank you!