LibGuides: POLS 100: Contemporary World Problems (Menard): Library Databases

Filters and Boolean Operators

Databases do not function like Google, meaning, you can't type an entire sentence in the search box. Knowing how to use keywords, boolean operators and filters will give you better results. Consider watching the following videos before trying any of the library's databases.

Selected Databases for Your Assignment

Try these online encyclopedias instead of Wikipedia to find more information about your political science research topic.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window

Your research topic may be bundled with articles, primary sources, videos, images, websites, and more in some of the databases listed below. Try typing in your search terms and see what resources you find.

eLibrary Curriculm Edition This link opens in a new window A massive, multidisciplinary database excellent for topic selection and guided research. Editorially created pages provide valuable context for both common and obscure research topics. The content, which is all full text, includes books, magazines, journals, newspapers, photographs, transcripts, and videos.
SIRS Issues Researcher This link opens in a new window A massive, multidisciplinary database excellent for topic selection and guided research. Editorially created pages provide valuable context for both common and obscure research topics. The content, which is all full text, includes books, magazines, journals, newspapers, photographs, transcripts, and videos.

If you're ready for independent research on your topic then try the following databases:

EBSCO Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window A comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. This database also offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
ProQuest Combined Search This link opens in a new window A single search of nearly all YVC's ProQuest subscriptions, including full-text articles, abstracts, and eBooks.

Consider reading articles from independent and alternative presses that challenge and/or complement the mainstream media. Articles are primarily written by people of color.

Alt-PressWatch This link opens in a new window Alt-PressWatch includes full-text articles from over 270 newspapers and magazines from alternative, independent presses, providing an unmatched, multidisciplinary resource for researchers seeking an alternative to mainstream media perspectives.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window An interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) and comprehensive full-text database of newspapers, magazines and journals from ethnic, minority and native presses. Designed to provide the “other side of the story.” This current database begins its coverage in 1990.

JSTOR Journal

JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. You do need to create an individual account to gain access. There's a limit of 6 articles every 30 days online for free. However, during Covid-19, the number of free articles has been increased to 100 articles until 12/31/2020.

Watch the short 2-minute video on how to create your free JSTOR account.
Go to the registration page to set up your account.
Then try your search terms in JSTOR!

Now you are set to use JSTOR and log in whenever you need to research, even for other classes requiring scholarly articles!

The search box below is set to search your keywords in political science journals and books. Note: Make sure you have created your account.

JSTOR Daily

JSTOR Daily is another excellent resource! There is no need to create an account. JSTOR Daily is an online publication that adds a scholarly perspective to current events. Each article includes additional links to other credible online sources AND free full-text access to the JSTOR articles that are mentioned in the article.

Go to JSTOR Daily's search box and try searching for:

Climate Change
Spanish Flu
Measles
or your topic.

Did you know? All of the databases have a citation tool.

The citation tool will save you lots of time as you conduct your research. The majority of websites in Google DO NOT provide you with a citation, you need to create it yourself. Watch the citation tool video and see how easy it is to cite your sources from the library's databases.

OneSearch-Library Catalog

Are you looking for a book? Are you looking for peer-reviewed articles? Does the resource need to be current? Don't forget to use the skills that were demonstrated in the Filters and Boolean Operator videos above.

OneSearch in the library catalog can help you search multiple databases at one time, it's like our Google.