Northwest Missouri State University

1) When searching in the Owens Library catalog, use the Search MOBIUS button to conduct the same search in the entire MOBIUS catalog (the holdings of over 50 Missouri academic libraries) and retrieve more results.

2) Click the How do I search for items at other libraries? link to find out how to REQUEST MOBIUS books. (REQUESTED books are delivered to the Owens Library Services Desk in 2-3 business days.)

3) When your MOBIUS catalog results list return books not available in the Owens Library, use the REQUEST THIS ITEM link to have books in the MOBIUS catalog delivered to Owens Library.

Note: Northwest is part of the TOWERS cluster

1) Political Science Databases
A list of links to periodical and government document databases appropriate for research in most political science courses. Click ASK! to contact librarians for more research assistance.

2 ) Political Science Periodicals
Below is a list of political science periodical titles recommended by department faculty and librarians. Links to online full text are provided in this list where possible.

Congressional Quarterly Almanac Online
This online database contains detailed descriptions of major bills, including background to introduction of the bill, House and Senate floor action, House and Senate votes, major committee report numbers, bill reconciliation, and Presidential reaction to signing of the bill. An indispensable tool to researching historical bill activity. Search for bills by public law number, bill number, popular name, or formal bill name. If the bill you are looking for is included there is a Box Score containing bill numbers, public law number, adopted conference report number, dates of passage, senate and house votes, date the bill was signed into law.

CQ Weekly Report (Formerly Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report)
Ulrich's Periodical Directory reports in its review of this periodical the following:
"With its reputation for comprehensive and nonpartisan reporting, CQ Weekly provides premier coverage of all aspects of Congress, its personalities, its relations with the executive branch, the status of House and Senate bills and resolutions, hearings, the political parties and their leadership, etc. This title is also an excellent source for inside information that is frequently omitted in daily newspapers. Full or partial texts of significant presidential or other speeches are occasionally included, as well as congressional votes on major bills, confirmation hearings, and other roll calls. Although expensive, this weekly publication belongs in every large U.S. public and academic library. Students in particular will find this title useful for identifying term paper and/or speech topics."

Congressional Digest
This periodical title is particularly useful for determining controversial aspects of federal bills and for researching pro/con aspects of legislative issues. Ulrich's Periodical Directory sums up the periodical's strengths this way: "This journal provides in-depth coverage of the pros and cons of public-policy issues. Using a single-theme format, each issue includes a series of background articles on the topic, followed by a 'Pro & Con' section that serves as a forum for various viewpoints on that topic. The overall result is a well-balanced treatment of currently important and often controversial issues."

Proquest Congressional/Inside Washington
This service indexes and provides full text for three publications covering US congressional activities. The Proquest Congressional description of their content follows:

Washington Post
The Washington Post is a leading daily U.S. newspaper. The A Section contains national political coverage, investigative reporting of the federal government, and in depth news and analysis of domestic and foreign policy.

Roll Call
Roll Call is a semi-weekly newspaper that covers the United States Congress with a unique close-up perspective. It strives to provide the "best coverage of the people, politics, and process of Congress."

The Hill
The Hill is a weekly newspaper covering the actions of Congress and the influence of congressional leaders, the administration, and lobbyists. The Hill is delivered every Wednesday to each member of Congress and thousands of congressional aides.

National Journal
Ulrich's Periodical Directory describes the National Journal as an "authoritative, nonpartisan coverage and analysis of key political and policy developments."

New York Times
Ulrich's Periodical Directory touts the New York Times newspaper as "the single best newspaper in the United States for comprehensive daily coverage of national and international events."

Vital Speeches of the Day
Ulrich's Periodical Directory describes Vital Speeches this way: "Vital Speeches prints the 'best thought of the best minds on current national questions' twice a month. Speeches are printed in full, and editorial policy is committed to covering both sides of public questions in the areas of politics, education, sociology, government, criminology, finance, business, taxation, health, law, labor, economics, etc. Important addresses from a wide variety of national leaders are published."

Washington Post
Ulrich's Periodical Directory provides the following analysis of this major national newspaper: "The Washington Post is the preeminent newspaper for analysis of federal politics."

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published every Monday and is the official publication of presidential statements, messages, remarks, and other materials released by the White House Press Secretary. Search this publication with Gale or EBSChost databases here.

Point of View in Periodicals
    This guide provides links to journals, magazines, and newspapers which take a well defined political perspective. Great for finding pro/con articles on political topics.

Both Sides of the Issue
    This guide gives recommendations for how to find books, periodicals articles, or web sites that take pro/con positions on important current and historical issues.

 Locating Periodicals in Owens Library
Learn how to find the call number, the format/media type, and the Owens Library location of a periodical title, i.e., NOT the title of the journal or magazine article itself.

 Types of Periodicals
Determine how to tell the difference between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine.

 Locating Peer-Reviewed Periodicals 
Discover how to limit a search to refereed or peer-reviewed articles.

1) Explanations of the federal legislative process:

2) How to choose appropriate legislation:

3) American Congress students should consider the following to determine if their bills were controversial:

4) LexisNexis Academic Legal Research
Students can use Legal Research to:

5) Proquest Congressional
Track bills, retrieve congressional transcripts, access public laws, US code, and federal regulations.

6 ) GPO Access
Access history of bills (from 1983 - present), Congressional Record (from 1994 - present), public and private laws (frm 1995 - present), U.S. Code, Federal Register, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and Supreme Court decisions (from 1992 - present).

7 ) Thomas (Library of Congress)
With this highly regarded government site, locate bills and resolutions, Congressional Record entries, and committee reports.

8) Law Research Guide
This guide shows you how to find federal and state court cases.

9 ) FindLaw/For Legal Professionals/Cases & Codes
This highly regarded site provides links to federal and state cases, codes, and legislation.

10 ) Supreme Court Cases
Locate Supreme Court cases and case analyses in books, articles, and web pages.

11) How to find the congressional committee report(s) (for an explanation of what a committee report is check Thomas/Committee Reports):

• If your bill has become law find the committee report number for most significant committee reports related to that bill (especially the vital conference committee reports if any were published) using:
  
  • Proquest Congressional/Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws/Legislative Histories (From Congress 91 - 1969/1970). Conference committee reports are listed at the end of the REPORTS: section of the the legislative history report with a link to the report when available through Proquest Congressional. Additionally, the last reports typically discuss the final version of the bill before it is passed into law.
  • Congressional Quaterly Almanac (1969 - year previous to 2005)
  • GPO Access/Public and Private Laws/Public Law Text/Legislative History (From Congress 104 - 1995/1996 until the present). Primary committee reports are listed at the very end of the text of each public law in the Legislative History section along with citations from the Congressional Record and the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Below is a sample Public Law Text/Legislative History from GPO Access. Note that the report indicates the legislative chamber (House or Senate), the congress number (107), and the committee the report came from. It also indicates whether it is a committee of conference.

• If you did not link directly to the primary reports from Proquest Congressional/Legislative Histories, Bills & Laws /Legislative Histories, use the committee report information from Congressional Quarterly Almanac or from GPO Access and search for the committee reports in:
  • Proquest Congressional /Congressional Publications/Advanced Search/House & Senate Reports (1970-present)
  • Thomas (Library of Congress)/Committee Reports