Online Access to Sawyer Library Resources
Current students have access to the online resources from off-campus. At the point of clicking on a link, users should expect to be prompted for their Suffolk University username and password. This authenticates the user as part of the Suffolk community, and grants access to the online database.
Questions? Feel free to contact the Sawyer Library Reference Desk at: sawlib@suffolk.edu !
Lots to choose from ...
"There are so many databases listed under the Political Science category, how do I know which to choose for what I need?"
The purpose of this guide is to provide brief descriptions of what users can expect to find within the various online resources that are of relevance to political science.
Conduct a Literature Review
CITE Your Sources
- Style Manual for Political Science byCall Number: Access the PDF versionISBN: 1878147331Publication Date: Revised 2018 Edition
Librarian
Database Collections of Scholarly Journals in Political Science
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowThe article database Academic Search Complete (ASC) casts a wide net. It covers journals from most disciplines, including political science. Many of the journals are peer-reviewed (scholarly) sources. The majority of articles are available in the full-text. The database vendor, EBSCO, also produces Political Science Complete and EconLit. All three databases will look and behave much the same.
- Cambridge Core (Journals and eBooks) This link opens in a new window“Cambridge Core is the home of academic content from Cambridge University Press.” It includes the following peer-reviewed political science journals, published by APSA (American Political Science Association).
(Note: only select Cambridge articles published after 2020 are available in full text)
American Political Science Review
Perspectives on Politics
PS: Political Science & Politics
Studies in American Political Development. - EconLit with Full Text This link opens in a new windowA much smaller database than Academic Search Complete, this article database covers topics in economics, and includes journals from the American Economic Association. Since it is produced by the vendor EBSCO, EconLit will look and behave much like Academic Search Complete.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowA highly selective, multidisciplinary collection of over 1500 academic journals. JSTOR is known for its extensive backfile. It contains 227 journals in the category of political science, with coverage of U.S. politics, the politics of other nations and regions, and international affairs.
American Journal of Political Science 1973 – 2018
The American Political Science Review 1906 – 2014
The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1890 – 2016
The Journal of Politics, 1939 - 2015 (Full Text Delay: 5 years) - Nexis UniNexis Uni features news articles and legal sources (i.e. access to The New York Times from 1980 to present; articles from law reviews, legal cases, and statutes). The lower portion of the opening screen offers a Discovery section for Political Science, which gathers recent news, legislation, Supreme Court opinions, and law review articles.
- Oxford Journals Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Journals provide strong coverage of economics and international affairs. It also contains Public Opinion Quarterly 1996- present, without an embargo. (JSTOR contains the earliest issues, back to 1937.)
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new windowThe database vendor, EBSCO, also produces Academic Search Complete (ASC), and EconLit.. All three databases will look and behave much the same. While much smaller than ASC, Political Science Complete is devoted to topics of interest to government and political science. In addition to articles it also includes conference papers from the International Political Science Association. Content includes:
American Journal of Political Science, 2010 - present.
Foreign Affairs, 1922 - present.
Policy Studies Journal (APSA Organized Section Journal), 1972 - present (Full Text Delay: 1 year. Current issues available via Wiley.)
Political Communication (APSA Organized Section Journal) 1992 - present (Full Text Delay: 18 months).
Political Science Quarterly, 2013 - present. - Polling the Nations This link opens in a new windowContains the questions and responses from over 14,000 surveys, with a date range from 1986 to the present and with sources from the US and over 100 other countries.
- SAGE Journals Online This link opens in a new windowSAGE publishes peer-reviewed journals covering many disciplines, including politics and international relations. SAGE is the only database in which the most recent issues are available for the following journals:
American Politics Research, 2001 – present.
Comparative Political Studies, 1999 – present
International Political Science Review, 1999 – present - ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowA large collection of scholarly peer reviewed journals from the academic publisher Elsevier. Unique content includes:
Electoral studies, 03/01/1995 - present
Government Information Quarterly, 01/01/1995 – present - Springer LINK This link opens in a new windowSpringer is a publisher of scholarly journals. A sample of its political science journal titles includes the following:
International Politics. 2000 - present
Interest Groups & Advocacy, 2012 - present.
[Covers the many groups, corporations and organized interests that seek to influence public policy.]
Political Behavior, 1997 - present.
Published in association with the Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior section of the American Political Science Association. - Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new windowThe publisher Wiley provides strong coverage of comparative politics, US politics, and international politics. It contains the most recent issues of:
American Journal of Political Science, 2003 – present; (the back file extending to the 1970s is available in Political Science Complete and JSTOR.)
Review of Policy Research, 1998 - present.
U.S. Focused Political Science Resources
- Policy File Index This link opens in a new windowFind information on both sides of a public policy debate. Search and access reports from over 300 active think tanks, research organizations, and advocacy groups.
- Legislative Insight This link opens in a new windowProQuest’s Legislative Insight contains compilations of documents created by Congress during the process leading up to the enactment of U.S. Public Laws.
Several document types may be part of a legislative history, including: bills, hearings, CRS reports, committee prints, Presidential Signing Statements, and statutes. Also includes a section explaining the steps in the legislative process.
- Congressional Research Service - Public Access"This collection provides the public with access to research products produced by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for the United States Congress. By law, CRS works exclusively for Congress, providing timely, objective, and authoritative research and analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of political party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century."
- CQ Press Library/Political Reference Suite This link opens in a new windowA portal to multiple publications from CQ Press. Especially noteworthy are:
‘CQ Almanac’ - analysis on the major legislation and actions of congress for each year since 1945.
Vital Statistics on American Politics - CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowFounded in 1923, CQ Researcher is recognized for its in-depth, unbiased coverage of a wide range of current issues. Reports typically feature an overview, historical background, chronology, and a pro/con section. The articles are fact-checked, and include footnotes.
[N.B. 5 simultaneous user limit! Please log out when done using this resource.]