This is a useful database if you have not settled on a topic yet, or have a general idea (criminal justice, climate, etc.) but need to focus in on a specific policy area.
Provides original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news 44 times a year. Each single-themed CQ Researcher report offers in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each 12,000-word CQ Researcher report is a unique work, investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Each report includes a background and chronology; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. Reports dating back to 1991 can be searched or browsed. PDF files are available for reports from January 1996; for reports published since January 2001, PDF files are also available in color.
This is the public policy research arm of Congress. Click "more" for the full description.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) serves as shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. CRS experts assist at every stage of the legislative process — from the early considerations that precede bill drafting, through committee hearings and floor debate, to the oversight of enacted laws and various agency activities. CRS approaches complex topics from a variety of perspectives and examines all sides of an issue. Staff members analyze current policies and present the impact of proposed policy alternatives.
US Newsstream includes newspaper articles from across the country.
Includes a balance of national and regional newspapers chosen for their journalistic excellence and regional representation. All titles are available in full text. Papers include national titles such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post along with a selection of titles from across the U.S. such as the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Denver Post, The Sacramento Bee plus other important U.S. papers. Search Guide | Video Tutorial
Provides access to over 460 leading political science and international relations journals including the full-text of 430 core titles, many of which are indexed in Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage of the literature of political science and international relations includes topics such as comparative politics, political economy, international development, environmental policy, and hundreds of related topics. Search Guide | Video Tutorial
This huge, multi-subject database contains newspapers, scholarly journals, and more.
The world's largest scholarly, multi-discipline, full text database designed specifically for academic institutions. With a collection of 4,000 peer-reviewed, scholarly full text journals, this database offers critical information from many sources found in no other database. The database includes full-page images as well as color embedded images. Scholarly, full text resources are provided for nearly all academic areas of study: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Search Guide|Video Tutorial
Think Tank Search searches the websites of institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. These sites are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, and non-governmental organizations.
Searching Government Websites
You can force the Google or Bing search engines to search through a particular website by typing "site:" followed by the website or domain. For example, adding "site:mass.gov" to your search will return results from the Massachusetts State Government Website.
Try the "site:" shortcut to locate information on news websites and organization websites as well.
Locating Court Cases, Statutes, and more
Use NexisUni to find cases, by selecting "Cases" and then choosing federal or state. You can search by keyword, case citation (if you have one), or the names of the parties involved (plaintiff or and defendant).
Nexis Uni™ features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis®—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790—with an intuitive interface that offers quick discovery across all content types, personalization features such as Alerts and saved searches and a collaborative workspace with shared folders and annotated documents.
A nonpartisan public opinion polling, demographics and media analysis organization. This large resource is broken into several project sites focusing on different aspects of journalism, media, and demographic trends.
This link opens in a new window