Library Guides: PL SC 455 (WC): Western European Politics: Articles and Databases

Focus your research with a subject specific database

LionSearch or Google Scholar is a good place to start but it cross searches a lot of different disciplines from the arts to zoology. At the same time, it doesn't cross search all the databases owned by the University Libraries and, in fact, misses some crucial databases in the social sciences, including Psych Info and CIAO (International relations).

To use a fishing analogy. When you fish in the ocean there are lots of different kinds of fish. You will catch something. However, if you fish in a pond that has been stocked with the type of fish you want to catch, you greatly increase the chance you will get what you want for dinner.

Use a subject specific database to focus your search on the exact type of information you need. Fish for information in that smaller pond! LionSearch will even offer suggestions as to which database might be most useful. My top suggestions for political science literature are below.

Watch this quick video for tips on using a subject specific database effectivel

TOP PICKS

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Focuses on scholarship in the political sciences.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is building on the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts, published by IFI / Plenum, 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI, published by ABC-CLIO, 1984-2000. The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy. The serials list of the new database is actively under construction, with a focus on expanding international coverage. As of February 2004 approximately 1,432 titles are being monitored for coverage; this list will continue to grow.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) This link opens in a new window
A key international affairs database, CIAO is particularly useful for finding papers from think tanks and research institutes.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) is a comprehensive source for research in international affairs. It includes full text of selected books on international affairs, working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, and proceedings from conferences. It also, contains abstracts and some full text of selected journal articles
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A collection of key scholarly journals across a broad array of disciplines including political science. IMPORTANT: Many of the journals have a 3-5 year embargo so do not rely on this database to locate the most current scholarship!

Choose the ADVANCED SEARCH SCREEN. Scroll down to the bottom and you can choose to search just the political science journals.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization that provides a trusted archive of important scholarly journals and a selection of scholarly books. Content in JSTOR spans many disciplines, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. While indexing for JSTOR articles is covered in LionSearch, the full text of the articles is not searched in LionSearch. Search JSTOR itself to ensure detailed coverage of full texts.

ALSO USEFUL

Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Particularly good for looking at social cleavages in countries.
CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,700 serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. Records added after 1974 contain in-depth and nonevaluative abstracts of journal articles.
EconLit This link opens in a new window
Particularly good for question of political economy.
EconLit provides citations, with selected abstracts, to the international publications on economics since 1969. EconLit covers a broad range of document types, including journal articles, books, dissertations, and articles in collective works.
Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text This link opens in a new window
Use to search law review articles.
Index to Legal Periodicals and Books indexes legal journals, law reviews, yearbooks, and bar association publications from 1918 to the present. Coverage also includes books and full-text of selected articles from the early 1990s to the present.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Covers a broad array of topics including some key political science journals such as the "Journal of Democracy" and "World Politics".
Project MUSE is a unique collaboration between libraries and publishers providing 100% full-text, affordable and user-friendly online access to high quality humanities, arts, and social sciences journals from scholarly publishers. MUSE began in 1993 as a pioneering joint project of the Johns Hopkins University Press and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at JHU. Grants from the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities allowed MUSE to go live with JHU Press journals in 1995. Journals from other publishers were first incorporated in 2000, with additional university press and scholarly society publishers joining in each subsequent year.
Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Good for a historical perspective on European politics
Search for articles and other publications on world history from 1450 to present, (except for the United States and Canada which are indexed in the companion work, America: History and Life). The database includes articles in journals worldwide, including a selection of major social science and humanities journals. Also included are references to dissertations and books.

Find more subject specific databases

Subject Guides
Find the best resources by your major or discipline

Penn State University Libraries

PL SC 455 (WC): Western European Politics

Your Librarian

Focus your research with a subject specific database

Find more subject specific databases