Political Science

Librarians at Schaffner Library on the Chicago campus have compiled the following list of Political Science resources that can be obtained from the Schaffner Library print collection or accessed remotely through one of the computers at Schaffner Library (or from your home). These resources are designed to answer basic questions in Political Science as well as serve as a jumping off point for further research. The journals listed here contain some of the most current research in the field.

Materials from the Main Library in Evanston can also be obtained for your use. You can either come to Schaffner and fill out a Book Request Form or an Article Request Form, or you can use the online forms from Schaffner’s Web site at http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/book.html (for book requests) and http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/article.html (for article requests).

GENERAL DATABASES

Academic Search Premier
This multidisciplinary database provides citations and abstracts from nearly 2,900 scholarly journals, as well as full text access to over 1,200 journals. Users can search in a number of ways including, author, title, subject, geographic terms, company entity, journal name, and ISBN. The advanced search feature lets you narrow your search down to type of publication, document type, or by date. Another special feature of this database is its ability to search for images.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Covering current affairs, humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences, this database has citations, abstracts, and some full text from over 1,000 periodicals, including some popular magazines such as People, Time, and Newsweek. Searching can be done by subject and subject subdivisions, as well as by keyword and journal title.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
This resource allows users to simultaneously search online encyclopedias of business, education, history, medicine, religion, and social science.

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
This database has bibliographic information for articles from over 2,600 international journals on subjects such as economics, political sciences, sociology, and anthropology. There is no full text, but merely citations to articles. By using the advanced search feature, users can search a number of ways including by abstract, geographic area, journal title, or URL.

JSTOR
JSTOR offers historical access to back runs of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, most going back to a journal’s first issue. Users can search by keyword, limiting their search to journals in a particular field, by author, or by journal. JSTOR users can also limit their search to articles, reviews, opinion pieces, or other materials.

Oxford Reference Online
This resource contains over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press. All are fully indexed and cross-searchable.

PCI Full Text
PCI provides complete historical coverage of selected journals in the humanities and the social sciences from 1770-1995. Many of the journals PCI provides access to no longer published. In addition to English, this database also provides access to articles in a number of Western European languages. Users can search by keyword, article title, author, journal title, language, and journal subject.

Web of Science
Despite its name, Web of Science is a database of citations to arts & humanities, social sciences, and sciences articles. Users can search by topic, author, journal title, or cited reference. The database also provides access to the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and the Sciences Citation Index. These indexes allow users to search for references within articles.

Wilson Select Full Text Plus
This database has citations, abstracts, and full text articles from a number of scholarly and non-scholarly periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and business. Users can search by keyword, subject, author, and title. They can also limit searches to articles, reviews, and literature. Wilson Select Full Text Plus also provides access to non-English language publications. Finally, users can limit their search to items that are provided full text or items that are held in the Northwestern University Library collection.

POLITICAL SCIENCE DATABASES

Access UN
This database indexes current and past UN documents and publications, including treaties. Full text is provided for the General Assembly, Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council. Users can search by subject, author, and title as well as by country and document number.

CQ Historic Documents Series Online Edition
The online equivalent of the entire run of the print serial Historic documents, issued since 1972, each annual volume of which contains approximately 100 documents covering the most significant events of the year. The documents include presidential speeches, international agreements, Supreme Court decisions, U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions. Documents are preceded by introductory material to provide historical and intellectual context. Documents may be searched by full-text keyword, title, and topic, and a cumulative index is provided.

Declassified Documents Reference System--U.S.
More than 70,000 documents from a wide range of government departments, including the Department of State and the FBI make up this database. The texts and images contained in this database cover a number of subjects, including international politics, international relations, U.S. foreign and domestic policy, strategy, diplomacy, and the military.

International Political Science Abstracts
This database contains citations and abstracts from English and non-English journals on political science, public law, international public law, and international relations.

PAIS
PAIS is a bibliographic index to the literature of public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Journal articles; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations; and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world are indexed.

Sociological Abstracts
This database contains citations and abstracts from over 2,500 journals, dissertations, conference papers, book reviews, and books on sociology. Also included are citations and abstracts to articles in related fields such as anthropology, economics, and medicine.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
International in scope, this database has citations and abstracts from over 1,100 political science and related discipline journals. Within each search result is a link to “Find It @ NU” which allows the user to find the full text within Northwestern University Library’s print or electronic collection.

BOOKS

The following are a selection of general print resources available at Schaffner Library. However, Schaffner can obtain books from the Main Library in Evanston. Patrons need to fill out the “Book Request Form” available in the Schaffner Library or on the Schaffner Library Web site.

The Cunning of Unreason: Making Sense of Politics
Call Number: 320 D923c
Circulating Collection
Looking at competing definitions of politics, the author argues that the study of politics is important. He argues for the bringing together of the thoughts of past political theorists and contemporary thinking.

European Political Thought, 1815-1989
Call Number: 320.01 D611e
Circulating Collection
This collection of essays serves as an introduction to European thought from the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte to the fall of the Berlin wall. Covered in this title are forms of government and economic, social, and political development.

History of Government from the Earliest Times
Call Number: 320.9 F495h
Circulating Collection
This three volume title looks at governments from around the world for the past 5,000 years.

Thinking Politics: Perspectives in Ancient, Modern, and Postmodern Political Theory
Call Number: 320.01 T431t
Circulating Collection
This title aims to examine political theory through history.

Statesman’s Year-book
Call Number: 310 S79
Reference Collection
This title provides historical and annual information on the countries of the world.

Women in Western Political Philosophy: Kant to Nietzsche
Call Number: 305.4 W8714
Circulating Collection
Focusing on political philosophers from the Enlightenment to the late 19th century, the essays in this title examine the role of women in political life. Included philosophers are Kant, Rousseau, Hegel, and Nietzsche.

EBOOKS

The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science: A User’s Guide to Terms
With more than 1,000 definitions of terms, this dictionary is an introductory work to the field of political science. Entries are heavily cross referenced and major entries include bibliographies for further research.

Dictionary of Government and Politics
Covering both the United States and the United Kingdom, this work defines terms from the field of government and politics.

The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World
Covering the periods from around the 8th century through the early 21st century, this title looks at large scale political issues.

SERIALS

The following serials are merely a selection of journals available online. The Main Library has print copies of numerous other political science journals. Copies of articles can be obtained using the “Article Request Form” in the Schaffner Library or on the Schaffner Web site.

Perspectives on Politics
This journal seeks to connect research and theoretical developments with real world problems. It is of interest to policy makers, political analysts, and the informed public.