Public Policy Research Guide

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You can also view/download a PDF map of library locations. For library contact information and building addresses, visit our directory.

If you are unsure about your topic, use OskiCat (UCB Catalog--Does not include Law) to find reference books relating to your topic.  A reference book will provide a high-level overview and/or background on your topic, as well as citations to get you started.

Tips:

• Limit your search to either Doe Reference or the Institute of Governmental Studies Library. 
• Be broad in your search.  For example, if your topic is on education of non-US citizens, search immigration.
• Visit the Library and ask for help.

Try your search (you can limit to the above locations once you see results by changing the dropdown menu for location).

Want to try a new database? Use Reference Universe to find chapters in reference books at UCB, with links to the catalog so you can find the book.

You can access UCB Library resources from off campus or via your laptop or other mobile device using one of two simple methods:

Proxy Server
After you make a one-time change in your web browser settings, the proxy server will ask you to log in with a CalNet ID or Library PIN when you click on the link to a licensed resource. See the setup instructions, FAQ, and Troubleshooting pages to configure your browser.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)
After you install and run the VPN "client" software on your computer, you can log in with a CalNet ID to establish a secure connection with the campus network.

Below are selected databases most useful in finding academic/scholarly articles for your topic.  For a more complete list of the article databases, see the full list of Public Policy Article Databases at UCB.

• ProQuest Social Sciences
  An interdisciplinary metasearch through core indexes in the social sciences including Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, PsycInfo, PAIS, and more.
  
• Academic Search Complete
  A multidisciplinary index to articles in more than 10,900 journals and other publications in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Portuguese; full-text is available for over 5300 journals.
  
• Business Source Complete
  Provides full-text for more than 7,400 scholarly business journals and other sources, including nearly 1,100 peer-reviewed business publications. Offers information in nearly every area of business including management, economics, finance, accounting, international business, and more Also includes other sources of full text information such as country economic reports from the EIU, Global Insight, ICON Group and CountryWatch and detailed company profiles for the world's 10,000 largest companies. For guidance on how to search, see Business Source Complete tutorial
  
• LexisNexis Academic
  Includes over 6,000 individual titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. Wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services like the Associated Press, Agence France Press, El Pais and Xinhua (New China) News Agency.
  
• LegalTrac
  Indexes journals, law reviews, and magazines related to legal research and commentary on case studies, government regulations, the practice of law, statutes, taxation, and international law.
  
• Index to Legal Periodicals and Books/Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective
  Index to Legal Periodicals and Books (1981 - present) indexes approximately 1000 legal journals, yearbooks, institutes, bar association journals, university publications and law reviews, and government publications from the United States, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Also indexes some 1,400 monographs per year. Index to Legal Periodicals Retrospective (1918-1981) indexes over 500 legal periodicals back to 1918.
  

Use OskiCat or Melvyl to Find books or Journal Titles (not articles) to see if UCB or UC has the journal. If UCB does not have it, you can request the book/article though the request feature in Melvyl.  Allow 1 week+ for the item not at UCB to be available for pickup.

Why use Google Books? Library catalogs (like OskiCat) don't search inside books; using a library catalog, you can search only information about the book (title, author, Library of Congress subject headings, etc.).  Google Books will let you search inside books, which can be very useful for hard-to-find information.  You can then use Google Books' Find in a Library link to locate the book in a UC Berkeley library, or search OskiCat to see if UC Berkeley owns the book.Try it now:

The Library offers over 100 e-book and e-text collections in specific subject areas. E-books in collections marked * are also available through OskiCat and Melvyl. You can limit your search in OskiCat to "Available online," and in Melvyl to "Online resources."

• Oxford Scholarship Online (political science, religion, philosophy, physics)
• Springer Electronic Book Package * (Melvyl only; sciences and social sciences)
• Ebrary broad coverage of many disciplines, including political science.
• Complete list...

• PolicyFile
  Index to public policy in the areas of economics, politics, the environment, and social issues, taken from reports from a wide range of thinks tanks, Non-governmental organizations, international governmental organizations, and other institutions worldwide.
  
• CQ Researcher Plus Archive
  A weekly publication covering the most current and controversial issue stopics. Includes complete summaries and bibliographies. Part of the CQ Electronic Library collection.
  
• CQ Weekly
  Provides nonpartisan information about US government and congressional affairs and subjects of concern. This online version also provides access to some articles prior to when they appear in the print version of CQ Weekly. Part of the CQ Electronic Library collection.
  
• National Journal Group's Policy Central
  Indexes National Journal, The Hotline which tracks American politics and campaigns with coverage of each day's events, Congress Daily, Technology Daily, Almanac of American Politics, Poll Track and others to provide a comprehensive resource on politics and policy.
  
• CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
  Indexes journals, books, policy briefs, working papers, and conference proceedings from research institutes worldwide related to international affairs analysis and advocacy materials. Also includes links to international affairs Internet sources.
  

Public Policy Institute of California
Dedicated to improving the quality of public policy decisionmaking in California, the Public Policy Institute of California provides high quality research and broad outreach programs to a wide range of California-specific topics.  Data, reports, and surveys on California policy issues can be found here.

Policy Archive
Free, online research library of over 30,000 reports covering public policy across the United States.  Browse by subject or search by keyword. 

This is a partial listing of the government information databases provided by the Library.  For a fuller list, please visit the Government Information pages.

• ProQuest Congressional
  One stop shopping for U.S. congressional publications. Provides index and abstracts of congressional publications back to 1789, including full text Congressional Hearings from 1824-present, full text Committee Prints from 1830-present, full text Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports from 1916-present, full text United States Congressional Serial Set from 1789-1969, and legislative histories from 1970-present. For more information on how to find hearings, consult the Congressional Tutorials homepage
  
• GPO U.S. Government Publications
  Indexes government documents printed by the US Government Printing Office since July 1976; documents include Congressional committee hearings, congressional debates and records, judiciary material, documents issued by departments such as Defense, State, Labor, and the Office of the President. Also includes links to Federal agency online resources.
  
• NCJRS (National Criminal Justice Reference Service) Abstracts Database
  Indexes over 170,000 criminal justice books, journal articles, and reports published by the US Department of Justice, other local, state, and Federal government agencies, international organizations, and the private sector are indexed. Access is also provided to more than 7,000 full text documents through the NCJRS Virtual Library linked to the database.
  
• Congressional Budget Office
  Provides access to federal budget and economic information including the Monthly Budget Review, Current Budget Projections, Historical Budget Data.
  
• CQ MoneyLine
  Provides tracking of the flow of money in politics at the federal level with some state information from 1980 to the present. Enables tracking of contributions from Political Action Committees (PACs), individual donors to politicians, elected officials, and party committees; follow soft money through 527 groups, and retrieve information on thousands of lobbyists, indexed by client and issue.
  
• Hein Online
  Provides full text to the early issues of many legal journals and law reviews, the Federal Register (1936-six months ago), US Supreme Court Library (1754-present) and treaties and agreements.
  
• American Presidency Project
  Contains all major publications of the U.S. Office of the President, including: Public Papers of the President, Inaugural Addresses, Executive Orders, Signing Statements, and other information such as radio addresses, party platforms, videos of debates, and popularity polling data. This project was developed by two political science professors at UCSB.
  
• Living Room Candidate: Historical Presidential Campaign Commercials
  An archive of historic and current political advertisements from television and the internet. Most clips include transcripts.
  

These links will guide you to various sources for statistics and data.  If you are interested in manipulating a dataset on your own, please visit the Doe Library's Data Lab in 189 Doe.

• Proquest Statistical Datasets
  Provides fast and easy one-stop shopping to more than 5.3 billion (and growing) data points from licensed and public domain datasets. Sources of data include local, state and international governments and organizations. Allows for customization of the data by selecting subjects, variable of interest, and the ability to view your data in side-by-side tables, charts and even maps. Also provides quick graphs and chats for statistics in the news.
  
• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
  Consortium of 325 institutions working together to acquire and preserve social science data. Maintained at University of Michigan, ICPSR receives, processes, and distributes data on social phenomena in 130 countries. Includes survey data, census records, election returns, economic data, and legislative records.
  
• American Factfinder (U.S. Census Bureau)
  Interactive, searchable database used to find population, housing, industry and business statistics from the U.S. Census. Data collected in Census 2000, the 1990 Census of Population and Housing, the American Community Survey and the 1997 Economic Census. Allows uses to compile census data into tables, maps and downloadable files, which can be viewed or printed.
  
• RAND State Statistics
  Statistics include: business & economics; population and demographics; education; community; health & socioeconomic; government finance; census; politics & public opinion. Also includes an online index to RAND public policy and research publications.
  
• Field Poll
  An independent, non-partisan, media-sponsored public opinion news service. Each year the poll covers a wide range of political and social topics examining California public opinion.
  
• Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
  Contains domestic and international survey data. The Center's Public Opinion Location Library (iPOLL) gives online access to a database including poll questions asked in US from 1936 to present.
  
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
  Presents up-to-date U.S. economic statistical information in areas such as 'Inflation and Spending' and 'International Statistics.' Also available are the latest numbers for the Consumer Price Index, unemployment rate, and the Producer Price. Provides past and current statistics for the U.S. economy as a whole; regional economic data can be obtained by clicking the state on a color-coded map.
  
• California Statistical Abstract
  Compilation of data on social, economic, and physical aspects of the State. The contributor for each table is given at the bottom of the table and may be contacted for more details or an explanation of the data.
  

Here are some general news and newsmedia databases.  For a full listing of the Library's news resources, check this list.

• Access World News
  Provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 700 international sources. Offers strong regional coverage, indexing more than California newspapers such as Contra Costa Times (1995-current), Sacramento Bee (1984-current), San Francisco Chronicle (1985-current), and San Jose Mercury News (1985-current). Search categories include: California newspapers (121 titles), Greater Los Angeles (54 titles), major metropolitan titles (13 titles), Spanish-language news sources (48 titles), the World (almost 2000 titles), US (855 titles).
  
• Factiva
  Provides general and business news and information from more than 9,000 sources in 22 languages, including influential local, national and international newspapers, leading business magazines, trade publications, and news wires. Includes the exclusive combination of The Wall Street Journal (1979-present), the Financial Times, Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and the Associated Press, as well as Reuters Fundamentals, and Bureau van Dijk company profiles.
  
• LexisNexis Academic
  Includes over 6,000 individual titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. Wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services like the Associated Press, Agence France Press, El Pais and Xinhua (New China) News Agency.
  
• ProQuest Newspapers
  Indexes the New York Times (1999-present), Los Angeles Times (1985-present), Wall Street Journal (1982-present).
  
• Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)
  Indexes articles from Chicago Defender (1905-1975), Chicago Tribune (1849-1986), Los Angeles Times (1881-1986), New York Times (1851-2004), San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922), Wall Street Journal (1889-1990), and Washington Post (1877-1991).
  

Blogs provide opinions and/or news from a particular agency or organization and breadcrumb link trails to other sites that you may not have already thought about pursuing to develop an area of policy or current events in which you have a focused interest.  Here are a few suggested blogs to visit

Rose Report - news and commentary from the the Rose Institute of State and Local Government, Claremont McKenna College.

GovBlog - highlights new developments and publictions from federal, state, local and international government agencies and organizations, from the Doe Library.

New West Notes-Provocative political commentary on California politics and public policy with frequent links to widely-talked about political video from a longtime former Democratic campaign advisor.

Capitol Roundup-More provocative daily commentary and links from the editors of Capitol Weekly and AroundtheCapitol.com.

Rough and Tumble-More of a daily news digest than a blog, but extremely useful in tracking the events and people that California's major newspapers are covering.

Calitics-A very irreverent and smart-alecky progressive California politics weblog.

Google Scholar is an easy way to do interdisciplinary research, and with some settings changes can become even more useful.  You need a Google account to use these features.

• Set up a Google Scholar Alert to be automatically notified when new articles are added to Google on topics of interest: 

Do your search in Google Scholar. Look in the green toolbar for the envelope icon, and click it.  New items will be sent to your email account as they are found by Google.

• Make Google display links to full text of articles that Berkeley subscribes to:

Open Scholar.  Click on scholar preferences [next to the search box]. Under Library Links, enter the word Berkeley.  Choose up to three database providers we subscribe to: Full Text@IngentaConnect; UC eLinks; and Read article via OCLC.

• Ever wanted to trace an article’s impact? Google now permits searching within citing articles.

Do a Google Scholar search. Click on the "Cited by" link under a citation and select the "Search within articles citing..." checkbox.

One of the largest hurdles of using Google is the amount you must weed through.  Some searches result in thousands of pages; who has time to go through all that?  You dont need to.  Did you know you can manipulate a regular Google search with a couple hacks to your search.  Its true!  Try these search "tricks" during your next google search.

• site:XXXXX  This search tells google to limit your search to a particular site or domain.  For instance, if you limit to site:berkeley.edu you would only search the Berkeley site.  Similarly site:.gov would search only sites ending in .gov, and site:.edu would search only sites ending in .edu.

• -XXXXX  Adding a minus/hyphen sign "-" to a term will remove results with that term.  This can be very helpfull when removing common words associated with your topic.

• filetype:XXXX  Using filetype: will only find certain file extentions (.doc, .pdf, .xcl, etc)

• "XXX XXXX" Putting double quotes around a phrase will find only that phrase.

You can also combine some of these search hacks, such as adding -site:nytimes.com to remove results from the New York Times website.  More search tricks can be found here.

Jesse Silva
jsilva@library.berkeley.edu
510-768-7613

Julie Lefevre
jlefevre@library.berkeley.edu
510-643-6445

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