Content last reviewed:
This research guide is designed for students doing research in Politics and International Affairs. If you run into any obstacles, don't hesitate to contact me. ~ Aleksandra
Define and get an overview of your topic or find definitions of key terms and concepts
- International Relations: The Key Concepts (online)
- Globalization: The Key Concepts JZ1318.G6792 2007
- Encyclopedia of human rights JC571.E673 2009
- Interntional encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (online)
- Janes (Track and monitor international terrorist groups and insurgency movements)
- Oxford Reference Online Premium
- Global Terrorism Database
- Terrorism : essential primary sources HV6431 .T465 2006
- CRL Catalog
Country Information
- EIU.com
- GlobalEdge
- CIA World Factbook
- World Competitiveness Online
- World Development Indicators
- Human Development Report (online)
Explore your topic
Use search engine on the library home page to search for books, journal articles, media.
Use this search when starting research on a topic or when you are not sure which databases to use.
Fulltext eBook Collections:
Cambridge University Press eBooks
Columbia International Affairs Online
Oxford University Press eBooks
eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
Canadian Publishers Collection
Wiley Online Journals
Develop a search statement to search databases (including news databases), the catalogue, and other academic sources
A search statement includes a list of keywords, combined using Boolean Operators (AND; OR; NOT)
- AND - this will combine concepts, all of which must be found in your list of results
- media AND children
- OR - either this concept or that concept (or both). This is helpful for generating a list of synonyms. Use synonyms to anticipate the different ways different authors may refer to the same idea. A thesaurus can be helpful for this
- internet OR web OR online
- NOT - do not include this concept
- migration NOT bird
- Quote marks - find a specific phrase
- "human rights"
- Truncation - any other combination of letters to follow
- Canad* - will find Canada, Canadian, Canadian's, etc.
- journalis* - will find journalism, journalist, journalistic, etc.
- Combine one or more of these operators
- Put a list of synonyms in brackets
For example:
(smartphone OR "mobile phone" OR "cell phone") AND (societ* OR cultur*)
Thesis & Dissertation Writing Guides
- Mapping your thesis; the comprehensive manual of theory and techniques for masters and doctoral research
- Doing dissertations in politics a student guide (online)
- Research literacies and writing pedagogies for masters and doctoral writers (online)
- The political science student writer's manual
How to write a literature review
- SAGE Research Methods (supports beginning and advanced researchers throughout a research project, from writing a research question, choosing a method, gathering and analyzing data, to writing up and publishing the findings)
What is a Literature Review?
- Conducting a Literature Review
- Am I the Only One Struggling to Write a Literature Review? (Sage Research Methods)
What are the Purposes of a Literature Review?
- situate your work in its discipline/area/subfield
- develop an understanding of how knowledge in your discipline/field/area has changed over time
- develop mastery of what's known in your area, and part of the larger discipline that contains it
- compare different conceptual or sub-disciplinary approaches to your topic
- compare and contrast different theoretical schools or leading researchers in your area
- identify methodologies that you might use in your work
Keep Track of your searches
Citation searching: find missing citations, track references and find related articles
Tips for effective searching
If you find one relevant article for your research it can lead to other relevant papers by the following:
- using the databases, including Omni, look to find all papers & books published by the author or co-authors
- explore the bibliography in the paper for sources
- using Web of Science or Scopus, look for articles that cite the article you found. Remember, some databases will also list citing articles but those lists are limited to the current database. The Web of Science and Scopus are more comprehensive, with coverage from multiple databases.
- Remember to see if an citing article has itself been cited.
Web of Science
Select Cited Reference Search from top tool bar.
You have the article
Burstein, P. 2003 "The impact of public opinion on public policy: A review and an agenda." Political Research Quarterly Volume: 56 Issue: 1 Pages: 29-40
Enter the author in cited author box
Burstein P* (use surname, first initial and truncation symbol)
Retrieve abbreviation of journal name from list provided, and enter year of publication. POLIT RES QUART
Enter cited year: 2003
From the list, select the ariticle and click on Finish Search at the top of the list.
Results show the article has been cited 410 times - the most recent in 2019.
Note the option Create Alert to be notified of any future citing of this article.
Scopus
Choose Author Search from top tool bar.
Enter author's name and affiliation if known
Onwuegbuzie, Anthony John
Select displayed result. All published articles by the author will be listed. Click on article for citing references.
Onwuegbuzie, Anthony John and Nancy L. Leech, "Validity and qualitative research: An oxymoron?" Quality and Quantity Volume 41, Issue 2, April 2007, Pages 233-249. This article, published in 2007, has been cited 228 times, the most recent in 2019.
Google Scholar also tracks how many times an item is cited by other documents
Journal Ranking
Journal Citation Reports - Provides citation-based metrics to rank journal within a given discipline. Choose Select Categories and limit by subject areas such as:
- Public Administration
- Economics
- Political Science
Additional resources
- Conducting a Literature Review (Carleton University guide)
- How to write a literature review (Concordia University Libraries)
- Literature reviews (University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill)
- Conducting research literature reviews : from the Internet to paper Q180.55.M4 F56 2010
- Doing your literature review : traditional and systematic techniques H62 .J44 2011
- How to research Q180.55.M4 B59 2010 [chapter 4]
- Information skills : finding and using the right resources ZA3075 .G75 2010 [chapter 2]
- The literature review : a step-by-step guide for students LB2369 .R525 2012
- Social research methods : qualitative and quantitative approaches HM571 .N48 2011 [chapter 5]
- Systematic approaches to a successful literature reviewLB1047.3 .B6 2012
- Telling a research story: writing a literature review LB2389.F43 2009
- Writing literature reviews : a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences H62 .G35 2017
- Information skills: finding and using the right resources ZA3075 .G75 2010
- The postgraduate research handbook : succeed with your MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD LB 2371.W576 2008
Key Databases
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- International Political Science Abstracts
- International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center
- Columbia International Affairs Online
Additional Databases:
- Policy Commons
- American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies
- PAIS Index (previously PAIS International)
- IHS Jane's: Defence & Security Intelligence & Analysis
- America History and Life
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database (previously CBCA Complete)
- Scopus
- CPI.Q
- HAPI Online
- Canadian Public Documents Collection
- Dissertations and Theses Global
Government Information
International Organizations
- IMF Data
- IMF eLibrary
- UN Data
- United Nations Digital Library
- World Bank -Open Knowledge Repository
- OECD Online
- Commonwealth OnLine
- Europa - official server for the European Union
This tab contains information to help you find primary sources for research on international relations and related topics. Many archival documents and first-hand accounts are accessible in published form. For more information on primary sources at Carleton University check the "Archives and Special Collections" link.
Consult the News Guide for details of news sources.
Tips for searching newspaper databases.
For current Canadian and international newspapers/news:
- Canadian Newsstream
- Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database: transcripts of CBC (TV and radio) and CTV (TV) news shows
- PressReader
- Eureka.cc
- Factiva
- Nexis Uni
American Economic Association (search engine)
Development Studies
- BRIDGE Briefings on development and gender
- Devline the information service of the British Library of Development Studies, located at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex
- Electronic Development and Environment Information System (ELDIS)
- International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
- International Institute for Sustainable Development , located in Winnipeg
- MIT, Global System For Sustainable Development
- Overseas Development Institute
- Terra Nova
- WIDNET Women in Development Network
Conflict Analysis and Conflict Resolution
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute
- Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Crisisweb: the International Crisis Group
- INCORE : a global centre for the study and resolution of conflict, United Nations University and the University of Ulster
- International Relations and Security Network maintained by the Center for Security Studies and Conflict research in Zurich
- L.B. Pearson Peacekeeping Centre
- Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development
- Nuclear Control Institute
- Pocket Guide to NonProliferation Research on the Internet from the Center for NonProliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Stratnet - Strategic Studies Network University of Calgary
- United States Institute of Peace
- War Report on the Iraq War and Afghan Aftermath
- National Security Archive
Intelligence and Security
- British American Security Information Council
- Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS)
- Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies
- Canadian Intelligence Resource Centre
- Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies
- see Subject Guide for National Security, Intelligence & Terrorism
Global Political Economy
Asia
- APEC
- ASEAN
- Asian Development Bank
- Portal to Asian Internet Resources (PAIR)
- SARAI South Asia Resource Access on the Internet
North/South America
- Free Trade Area of the Americas
- Inter-American Development Bank
- North American Development Bank
- Organization of American States (OAS)
World/International
- Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy
- International Business Resources on the WWW (Michigan State University)
- International Political Economy Network
- Law & Economics working papers (from the University of Michigan)
- Papers in political economy (from Western University)
Trade
- see Subject Guide for Trade: Public Policy and Statistics
Grey literature is an important source of information for research in public policy that:
- adds a valuable global perspective
- provides detailed overviews on specific populations
- may be only source of local information
Grey literature is defined as "information produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled by commercial publishing" ie. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body." —ICGL Luxembourg definition, 1997. Expanded in New York, 2004
Library resources
- Grey Literature Guide
- Omni (the Library's main search box) (change Content Type to types of grey literature such as government documents, conference proceedings etc.)
- Dissertations and Theses Global
- Google Scholar (change country, for example, to find international material)
- Databases such as Canadian Business & Current Affairs and Web of Science
- Business Source Complete (select publication type "Grey literature")
- Think Tanks guide
- Think Tanks and Policy Centres
- Google's Custom Search of Think Tanks
- Think Tank Search (Harvard University) – think tanks can give an appreciation of government action or inaction in an area
Government Information
- Canadian Government guide
- Canadian federal government documents
Policy Policy Collections and Working Papers
- Policy Commons
- Canadian Public Documents Collection (1996-2019) - Canadian public policy, health and medical research.
- Conference Board of Canada eLibrary - Centre for the North, Centre for Food in Canada, How Canada Performs, etc.
- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Papers
- Policy File Index - Indexes research in U.S. public policy.
- Brookings Institute
- Social Research and Demonstration Corporation - develops, field tests, and rigorously evaluates new programs
- Think Tanks and Policy Centres
- Google's Custom Search of Think Tanks
- Think Tank Search (Harvard University) – think tanks can give an appreciation of government action or inaction in an area
- Global Economic Monitor
- Global Policy Forum - discussions, information, debates and resources on all topics concerning the UN
- GlobalEdge
Dissertations
- Dissertations and Theses Global
- Theses Canada/Thèses Canada
- Dissertations and Theses@Carleton
- EThOS
- Foreign Doctoral Dissertations
