LibGuides: Political Science: Getting Started

About this guide

Welcome! This guide highlights key resources for conducting effective information research in political science, including the following:

Reference sources to find background information on your topic
Catalogs to search for books in print and online
Databases for locating scholarly journal articles, reviews, and policy reports
Databases and websites for news sources
Reliable sources of data and statistics
U.S. government information
International relations resources
Resources for citing your sources and writing in political science
Tips to to help keep textbook costs down

If you need assistance identifying additional resources, search terms or strategies, please schedule a research consultation.

Image: The Gerry-mander, via New York Public Library

Political science reference sources

Consult scholarly reference sources to get an overview of a topic, an introduction to a theory, definitions to discipline-specific terms, and more.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics by Iain McLean (Editor); Alistair McMillan (Editor)
ISBN: 9780199207800
Publication Date: 2009-03-19
The Dictionary of Critical Social Sciences by T. R. Young; Bruce Arrigo
ISBN: 0429310021
Publication Date: 2019-07-11
The Encyclopedia of Political Science by George Thomas Kurian (Editor); James E. Alt (Editor); Simone Chambers (Editor); Paula D. McClain (Editor); Geoffrey Garrett (Editor); Margaret Levi (Editor)
ISBN: 9781933116440
Publication Date: 2010-10-12
International Encyclopedia of Political Science by Bertrand Badie (Editor); Dirk Berg-Schlosser (Editor); Leonardo Morlino (Editor)
ISBN: 9781412959636
Publication Date: 2011-09-07

Oxford Bibliographies Online
Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. There are at least 50 specific topical bibliographies in each subject area. Each of these features an introduction to the topic. Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work.

The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements by David A. Snow (Editor); Donatella della Porta (Editor); Bert Klandermans (Editor); Doug McAdam (Editor)
ISBN: 9781405197731
Publication Date: 2013-02-25