GVPT 100: Principles of Government and Politics

Web page created by Gerri Foudy, Social Sciences Team, UM Libraries
Instructor: Dr. Dorith Grant-Wisdom

The University of Maryland Libraries have many resources that will help with research for your GVPT 100 class. If you need additional information, please contact Gerri Foudy, the Government & Politics Librarian, or speak with a Reference Librarian at McKeldin Library's Service Plus Information Desk.

Table of Contents

• STEP ONE: Finding Information on Terms and Concepts
• STEP TWO: Finding Background Information on Specific Countries
• STEP THREE: Finding Books and Documents in the UM Libraries
• STEP FOUR: Finding Scholarly Journal Articles
• STEP FIVE: Updating Your Information
• STEP SIX: Properly Using Citations/Avoiding Plagiarism

STEP ONE: Finding Information on Terms and Concepts

It is useful when beginning your research to first consult reference sources which will give you an introduction to your topic, and often times provide historical context, examples of application, and a bibliography of suggestions for further reading. The following dictionaries and encyclopedias will provide you with information about the concepts of state, nationalism, terrorism, development, and legitimacy, as they are defined by political scientists, political philosophers, and international legal scholars. It is recommended that you consult several reference works to give yourself a more comprehensive understanding of these concepts.

• Evans, Graham and Jeffrey Newnham. Dictionary of World Politics: A Reference Guide to Concepts, Ideas, and Institutions. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
  Includes bibliographical references.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JA61 .E85 1990

• Forsyth, Tim, ed. Encyclopedia of International Development. London: Routledge, 2005.
  Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: HD82 .E547 2005

• Hawkesworth, Mary and Maurice Kogan, eds. Encyclopedia of Government and Politics. London: Routledge, 2004.
  Includes lengthy essays on "Conceptions of the State," "Conceptions of Power," and "Conceptions of Legitimacy," as well as writings on "Contemporary Political Systems," "Terrorism," and "Political Institutions."
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JA61 .C66 2004 v. 1 and 2

• Leoussi, Athena S., ed. Encyclopaedia of Nationalism . New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2001.
  Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JC311 .E499 2001

• Magill, Frank N., ed. Survey of Social Science: Government and Politics Series. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1995.
  Each essay provides principal terms, an overview, applications, context, and a bibliography. The index has listings for entries on "Local and Regional Governments," "Political Philosophy," and "Types of Government."
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JC423 .E53 1995 v. 1-4

• Motyl, Alexander, ed-in-chief. Encyclopedia of Nationalism. San Diego: Academic Press, 2001.
  Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
  Volume One: Fundamental Themes, Volume Two: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts. LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JC311 .E4996 2001 v. 1- 2

• Shanty, Frank and Raymond Picquet, eds. Encyclopedia of World Terrorism. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2003.
  Includes bibliographical references and index.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: HV6431 .E53 2003

• Thackrah, John Richard. Dictionary of Terrorism. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2004.
  Includes bibliographical references and index. LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: HV6431 .T56 2004

STEP TWO: Finding Background Information on Specific Governments

The following resources will help you identify and find information on political structures and governments of the world's nation-states, territories, protectorates, colonies, dependencies, and semi-sovereign states.

Note: To access subscription databases on campus, simply click on the links below. Otherwise, click on the "Off-Campus Access" link below and log in to Research Port using your 14-digit campus identification number (on the back of your campus ID card) and your last name.

• CIA World Factbook (Free resource)
  Information included under "goverment" for each nation: government type, dependency status, administrative divisions, dependent areas, independence, constitution, etc. Annual.
  http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

• Clements, John. Clements' Encyclopedia of World Governments. Dallas, TX: Political Research, Inc., 1974 - .
  Annual publication (latest volume, number 15 (2002-2003), is in binder in McKeldin Reference Stacks. Arranged by independent countries of the world, then territories and protectorates.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JF37 .C53

• Derbyshire, J. Denis and Ian Derbyshire. Political Systems of the World. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.
  Background information on 192 sovereign nations, plus profiles of existing colonies and dependencies. Also includes chapters on "Understanding Political Systems" and "Constitutions." The authors "have sought to distinguish between those nations whose citizens have a completely free choice of which people should control the levers of political power and those where that choice is limited."
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JF51 .D467 1996

• EIU Viewswire Database
  Good source for up-to-date information, news, and analysis on 195 countries. First choose a country home page, then go under Categories - Politics, for information on political structure, key developments, etc.

• Europa World Year Book. London: Europa Publications, Ltd., 1989 -.
  Annual publication. Each country chapter includes information on recent history, government, diplomatic representation, etc.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JN1 .E85 v. 1-2

• Freedom in the World (Free resource)
  "An annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties in 192 countries and 16 related and disputed territories."
  http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/index.htm

• International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who. London: Burke's Peerage Ltd., 1953 -.
  Table of Contents is arranged by "States of the World," and "Dependent States and Territories."
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN REFERENCE STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: JA51.I57

• Maddox, Robert L. Constitutions of the World. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2001.
  Summaries of constitutions, constitutional histories, and types of governments of 100 nations.
  LOCATION: MCKELDIN GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS LC STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: K3157.E5 M33 2001

• U.S. State Department Background Notes (Free resource)
  Contains information on all the countries of the world with which the United States has relations, including independent states, dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty..
  http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/

• Brogan, Patrick. World Conflicts: A Comprehensive Guide to World Strife Since 1945. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998.
  Chapters on selected countries, plus a map of world conflicts and a chapter on terrorism.
  LOCATION: McKeldin Reference Stacks
  CALL NUMBER: D842.B69 1998

STEP THREE: Finding Books and Documents in the UM Libraries

Search the online catalog for books and documents on your topic. Start with a "words/anywhere" search.
Example: Cyprus and nationalism
Example: Chechnya* and crisis

Once you have found some relevant records by using a "words anywhere" search, you can use the subject headings in the records to find more materials.
Example: legitmacy of governments
Example: Cyprus -- International status -- History -- 20th century

You must also use the catalog to find out whether the Libraries subscribe to a particular journal. Use the "title beginning with" for the journal title (not the article title).
Example: International Studies Review

More on how to use the catalog and Finding Library Items Using Call Numbers

STEP FOUR: Finding Scholarly Journal Articles

Try to identify some major concepts (keywords) to use in your searches, for example: Palestin* and relations and "United Nations".
More information on using keywords and boolean logic

Note: To access subscription databases on campus, simply click on the links below. Otherwise, click on the "Off-Campus Access" link below and log in to Research Port using your 14-digit campus identification number (on the back of your campus ID card) and your last name.

• International Political Science Abstracts
  Indexes and abstracts from international periodicals, 1989 to the present.

• PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) International
  Indexes a wide variety of journal articles, research reports, and government documents in the social sciences and public affairs fields. Indexing from 1915 with abstracts from 1985 to the present.

• Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  Provides references and abstracts from public affairs magazines, major newspapers, professional journals, and books devoted to politics and political analyis from 1975 to the present. Contains the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts for 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI for 1984-2000.

• CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online
  International affairs site that "publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 on that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, and proceedings from conferences."

• Historical Abstracts
  Information on articles, books, and dissertations about non-U.S. and Canadian history.

If you find a citation for an article that you need, but the full-text does not appear to be available on-line, the next step is for you to hit the “Find It” button. By doing this you will learn if there are possibly full-text source links that did not appear on the previous screen. If there are no full-text links, the “Find It” screen will tell you if the journal that contains the desired article is listed in the Libraries Catalog. If it is, you may click on the Catalog link that appears on the screen to get the call number of the journal. With this call number you can determine library location where you can physically retrieve the journal (and the desired article).

STEP FIVE: Updating Your Information

Because of the constantly changing nature of politics in many areas of the world, you want to make sure that the information you have gathered from your research is still current. The following sources will give you the latest news and current events information.

Note: To access subscription databases on campus, simply click on the links below. Otherwise, click on the "Off-Campus Access" link below and log in to Research Port using your 14-digit campus identification number (on the back of your campus ID card) and your last name.

• Abyz News Links (Free resource)
  Links to over 15,600 newspapers and other news sources from around the world.
  http://www.abyznewslinks.com/

• Alternative Press Index
  Citations from roughly 380 alternative, radical, and left publications, which report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change, from 1991 to the present.

• Ethnic Newswatch
  Bilingual (English/Spanish) database of 200 publications of the ethnic, minority and native press.

• EIU Viewswire Database
  Good source for up-to-date information, news, and analysis on 195 countries.

• Keesing's Record of World Events Online
  Culled from the world's press and information services, Keesing's distills political, economic and social events into concise, detailed reports for the years 1960 to the present. You can narrow your search by region or country and by year.

• Lexis-Nexis Academic
  Wide range of news, political, legal, business, and reference information in full-text format, including full-text of the Washington Post and the New York Times. To search for international news, go into "Guided News Search," then under "Select a News Category," - choose "World News," and under "Select a News Source," select your region of interest.
  

• World News Connection
  Full-text summaries and translations from foreign newspapers and news services.
  

STEP SIX: Properly Using Citations

• Documentation Guidelines for Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
• Citation Machine
  Click the type of resource you wish to cite, complete the web form that appears with information from your resource, and click "Make Citations" to generate standard MLA & APA citations.

return to top