Research Guides: Political Science (UNH Durham): POLT 402

Reading a Social Science Journal Article

How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal Article
Tips and tricks to make reading and understanding social science journal articles easier; provided by ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research)

Possible Databases for Op-Ed Paper Assignment

Selected databases to get results from recognized, reputable academic sources in the field of political science include

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration. Dates of coverage: 1975-current
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) Index
Covers all subjects that bear on public affairs and public policy, including the policy-oriented literature of academic social sciences such as economics, finance, law, education, the military, political science, public administration, international law and relations. Indexes publications from and about all countries, PAIS Archive coverage: 1915-1976; PAIS International coverage: 1972-current
JSTOR
A digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources in a wide range of disciplines. Funded in part by the University of New Hampshire Graduate School. Coverage is not designed for current material, thus it does not cover information from the most recent 2 to 5 years.

Start here!

The UNH Library search box provides one-stop searching for books and e-books; articles in newspapers, journals, and magazines; and streaming video and audio - it searches multiple databases at once.

To get relevant results, click on Advanced Search and use the Ways to Search with Keywords, Limiting Your Search Results, and Search Tips & Tricks below to research like a pro!

If you're not sure which search terms to use, try Google Scholar to start - its natural language searching may bring back articles using terms you never thought of!

Google Scholar

Google Scholar (GS) is useful for specific kinds of searching

When you don't know the right terms to search, GS uses natural language searching which can help you fish around for useful search terms.
When you find one great article, you can use GS - type in the article title, then in the listing click "cited by" to see who has cited that article in their more recent one.
When you want to look for unpublished articles or other grey literature.

Please note: you can search it like and advanced search in a database, using AND, OR, or NOT to search.

Use GS settings to choose UNH Library!

That will show you what you have access to via UNH Library in the right column.

Chicago Style

Chicago Manual of Style Online
Includes fully-searchable text with added features such as tools for editors, a quick citation guide, and searchable access to the Chicago Style Q&A, wherein University of Chicago Press manuscript editors answer readers' editorial style questions. Coverage is for 17th-18th editions.