LibGuides: Political Science: Articles (Scholarly & Non-Scholarly)

Articles (Scholarly & Non-Scholarly)

Why use scholarly articles?

Timeliness. In most areas of political science, scholars regularly publish articles in scholarly journals; some of these ideas may be later expanded or combined into books, but articles are often the first format in which new scholarship in political science is shared.
Variety. Databases will allow you to find multiple perspectives/publications/authors in one place.
References/footnotes/bibliographies. If you find an article that's particularly applicable to your research, be sure to explore the sources cited by the author(s); this can be an efficient and effective means to find other related material for your own research.

A Few Databases to Try

Political Science Complete This link opens in a new window
An extensive full-text collection and index to political science literature including online full-text for 500+ academic journals in political science and related fields. It also provides coverage to topics such as law and legislation, comparative politics, political theory, international relations, humanitarian issues and non-governmental organizations. The focus is worldwide, reflecting the globalization of contemporary political discourse.

- this is an EBSCO database, so you can use any search tips/techniques that you've used in Academic Search Complete in the past
- when you find an article that you think will be particularly helpful, click into the detailed record and look at the "subject terms"; these are hyperlinks that will take you to other articles on that topic
- you can also explore the subject terms by clicking on the "Subject" link in the left sidebar after you run a search; clicking "show more" will take you to a screen where you can select subjects and combine them in a new, more refined search

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources in multiple disciplines.

- go immediately to the Advanced Search screen
- below the search area, check the box by "Article" and limit to appropriate disciplines (Political Science, etc.)

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 6,300 full-text periodicals, including more than 5,700 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts to publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887.

- start with a broad search, e.g., "presidential power," "third-party election success," etc.
- when you get your results, use the links on the left under "Subject" or "Subject: Thesaurus Term" on the left side to narrow your search even more; clicking "show more" will take you to a screen where you can select subjects and combine them in a new, more refined search

- this database includes scholarly sources such as , but also conference reports, documents from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other non-scholarly - but still very useful - sources

Other Information

Depending on your topic, you may find it helpful to consult sources outside the field of political science. Possibilities might include sociology; women's, gender, and sexuality studies; medicine; etc. You can find additional databases in these areas by consulting the Research Guides for those areas.

Here are some specific database suggestions; to find these, go to the appropriate letter in our A-Z Resources list.

For issues of special concern to women and/or families: Gender Studies Database, Family & Society Studies Worldwide
For topics related to healthcare: CINAHL (a nursing database), ScienceDirect
For topics related to the environment or the natural world: Environment Complete, GreenFILE