Clark Family Library: Public Policy: Finding Articles and Online Resources

EBSCO Discovery Service

Use EBSCO Discovery Service to search all of the Library's databases at once.

Enter keywords in the search box
After you press 'search', use filters to refine results to include journal articles, full-text, and, if desired, scholarly/peer-reviewed
Click on the title to access the full text, if available.

Ethical Approach to Research

Practicing ethical research is essential regardless of the type of research you are doing. However, it is particularly critical when working with human subjects and their data, which you will do frequently in your research in Public Policy. The elements of ethical research listed below can also be used as you evaluate resources that you find.

Consider the subjectivity of the author.
Consider the time in which the resource was created.
Consider the mission and goals of the organization with which the author is affiliated (especially when thinking about research funding), and the scope and biases of the organization or journal in which the resource was published.
Address your own biases and subjectivity and the ethos or the mission and goals of the organization with which you are affiliated.
Respect the autonomy of the individuals in your study when using data and other primary sources.
Uphold the right of privacy of the individuals in your study when conducting original research.
Cite all sources.
Follow all copyright conditions.

What Is Ethics in Research & Why Is It Important?" by David B. Resnik
This 2020 article published by Dr. David B. Resnik outlines what research ethics are and why they are important. The article also includes links to discipline-specific ethical standards for research as well as visual representation of the core elements of ethical research, paraphrased above.

Select Resources

PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Data and mapping application that provides access to over 60,000 indicators related to demographics, housing, crime, mortgages, health, jobs and more that enables creation of maps, tables, and reports.
Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Offers full-text access to over 12,000 journals, including more than 10,000 peer-reviewed titles. A great database to start your research
Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window
Humanities International Complete covers all aspects of the humanities, with worldwide content pertaining to literary, scholarly and creative thought. Provides full-text of more than 1,030 journals, books and other published sources from around the world. Another great database to start your research.
Global Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Searchable full-text of more than 2800 global news sources including newspapers, newswires, news journals, and transcripts. Find full text (no images) of the New Pittsburgh Courier, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post here. Coverage dates vary.
Economist Historical Archive: 1843-2020 This link opens in a new window
Searchable full-text copy of every issue of The Economist published from 1843 to 2020.
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) This link opens in a new window
Full-text database of economics reports and working papers aimed at academic institutions, business, and government. 1921 to current.
Time Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Time Magazine Archive, covering 1923-2000
Freedom Riders in the South This link opens in a new window
Database documents the civil rights group's mission with over 4,000 digitized images of surveillance reports, chronologies, from the FBI Investigation Library. Offers a great collection of primary source documents on civil rights, desegregation, and African American studies. Gale.
Political Extremism and Radicalism: Far-Right Groups in America This link opens in a new window
Primary sources that examine varying manifestations of far-right ideologies with a particular focus on white supremacist and nationalist groups in the United States.

The journals listed below are not an exhaustive list, but merely an example of some of the leading places to get you started. Many of these journals are also located in the databases listed on the previous tab.

Journal of Policy Analysis & Management
The Journal of Policy Analysis & Management is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. According to the journal's overview, it publishes articles on issues pertaining to and best practices for policy analysis and public management.
Journal of Politics
The Journal of Politics is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by the University of Chicago Press. While mostly focused on political science, it can be helpful for public policy researchers as well.
Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research
The Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research is a peer-reviewed, scholarly, open access (free for anyone to use) journal covering the topics of political science, and policy making surrounding investments, economics, and industries.
Policy Studies Journal
The Policy Studies Journal is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by the Policy Studies Organization and the American Political Science Association’s Public Policy Section. It publishes journals with an international focus relating to public policy issues at any level of government, as well as theoretical developments pertaining to researching public policy.
Political Research Quarterly
Political Research Quarterly is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by the University of Utah and the Western Political Science Association that publishes articles relating to all aspects of politics.
Politics & Government Week
Politics & Government Week is a weekly synthesis of political news with a focus on US federal government and foreign policy updates published by NewsRX, a media company that creates weekly newsletters on a variety of topics.
Politics and Policy Journal Blog
This open access blog allows anyone to read content related to current issues in politics, policy, social justice, and more. The blog is affiliated with the Politics and Policy Journal, a leading peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by Bristol University Press and Policy Press covering topics related to policy making and implementation.
The Library has access from 2005-2017 of the Policy and Politics Journal through Humanities International Complete.
Public Adminsitration Review
Public Administration Review is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by American Society for Public Administration. It is the leading public administration journal and caters to both scholars and practitioners, publishing articles on current trends.
Public Opinion Quarterly
Public Opinion Quarterly is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by Oxford University Press that publishes articles relating to the theory and methodology of public opinion research, as well as analyses of public opinion.
This link will take you to the most recent issues to which the Library has access. For historical issues from the journal's founding in 1937 - March 1965, please check out JSTOR.
Statistics, Politics, & Policy
Statistics, Politics, & Policy is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal published by De Gruyter, a German academic press, that contains articles about how statistical analysis influences public policy.

Annenberg Public Policy Center
The Anneberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania is a leading public policy research center and the creators of FactCheck.org and many other public policy educational materials.
Center for Strategic & International Studies
The Center for Strategic & International Studies is a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit, bipartisan policy research organization.
Code of Federal Regulations - GovInfo
GovInfo is run by the US Government Publishing Office. It provides access to a wide variety of government information, including the annual editions of the Code of Federal Regulations. You can scroll down to the bottom of this page to view other related government resources.
Code of Federal Regulations - National Archives
The National Archives digital collection of the Code of Federal Regulations is organized by topic as opposed to date. Make sure to review their Getting Started Guide before using this tool.
Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) Foundation
The Global Legal Information Network ("GLIN") Foundation is a nonprofit that was previously federally funded from its creation by the Library of Congress in 1996 - 2012. It is a collection of member states that works to "[...] improve and provide access to the legal underpinnings of economic and social development, and to enhance the transparent evolution of international relations and international trade" and to fund raise for those efforts ("About"). Their website includes reports about world events and policy changes that can be helpful for your research.
Google Tech Public Policy Blog
This blog run by Google collects news, policies, and other information about technology-related public policy developments.
Issue Lab
Issue Lab is a free to use database of case studies, white papers (authoritative or government reports about an issue), issue briefs, evaluations, and more policy-related documents. It is operated by Candid, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to social sector data.
LobbyView
A comprehensive database of lobbying/special interest contributions in American politics from 1999-present. They have easy to use search functions, visualizations, and data available for download. LobbyView is run by Dr. In Song Kim and his team at MIT, and is co-sponsored by MIT, the National Science Foundation, and the Russel Sage Foundation.
RAND Coproation
The RAND Corporation is a California based public policy research organization. They offer public access to research briefs and other publications related to their public policy work on their website.
UN Treaty Colleciton
The UN Treaty Collection is an online repository of treaties spanning from 1959 to the present. There are also monthly summaries, a treaty handbook, and more information.
World Legal Information Institute
The World Legal Information Institute is a nonprofit research center created by a global consortium of law research institutions. It is a free to use repository for international law and policies.
Yale University Library Tips for NGOs, IGOs, Think Tanks, and more
This research guide from Yale University (in addition to being a heavy source of influence for his research guide) breaks down how to find information from and about NGOs, IGOs, Think Tanks, and other government-affiliated policy entities. The linked page includes search boxes to help you find NGOs and IGOs.

Congress.Gov
The official website for U.S. federal legislative providing access to the Congressional Record, information on Bills, Resolutions, Committees, executive communications, and treaties, plus more.
Policy Archive
Policy Archive is a publicly available digital library containing policies, research, and other related resources relating to a wealth of topics. You can search by topic, funder, collection, author, and publisher.
United States Statutes at Large - Library of Congress
"The United States Statutes at Large is the collection of every law, public and private, ever enacted by the Congress, published in order of the date of its passage" ("About This Collection"). This collection is digitized from 1789-1951.
Public Opinion - University of Minnesota Libraries
While the Major Polling Sources box on this page of the research guide from the University of Minnesota Libraries is for University of Minnesota community members, the links in the Public Opinion box are great places to go for your research into public opinion on particular issues.
White House
The White House's website provides information about executive offices and departments, the administration's initiatives, briefings, presidential remarks, and more.
National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures supports all US states, territories, and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.). They research and track state and state-federal legislation that impacts state politics.
PA General Assembly
The PA General Assembly's website includes links to the Pennsylvania Code, Bulletin, and Statutes.
EUR-Lex: EU Law
EUR-Lex is the EU's online legislation repository.
Plural (formerly Open States)
Plural (formerly Open States) is a free to use website that aims to make US government more transparent and accessible. Plural's tools allow you to track US legislation and how representatives are voting. They also offer robust data tools to assist researchers working with Plural's datasets.

Public Policy

What is Peer Review?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

EBSCO Discovery Service

Ethical Approach to Research

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