Stewart Library - Weber State University
Research Guide: POLS 1100: American National Government

Reference Resources

The library has many reference resources (dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) that will help you find background information on topics in Political Science and related fields.  Selected resources are listed below.  Look on the shelves near these books; there may be similar books nearby with helpful information.

  • West's Encyclopedia of American Law - Middle Level, Reference Table 2A: KF 154 .W47 1997
    (The 2005 edition of this excellent encyclopedia is available online)
  • Encyclopedia of Political Thought - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JA 61 .E52 2001
  • The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JA 61 .O95 2001
  • The Encyclopedia of Human Rights - Midlle Level, Reference Shelves:  JC 571 .L523 2001
  • The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JZ 1160 .N65 2002
  • Black's Law Dictionary - Middle Level, Ask at Reference Desk
  • Congress A-Z - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 1021 .C554 2003
  • Elections A-Z - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 1976 .M57 2003
  • The Presidency A-Z - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 511 .P775 2003
  • The Supreme Court A-Z - Middle Level, Reference East Wall: KF 8742 .A3558 2003
  • The U.S. Constitution A-Z - Middle Level, Reference East Wall: KF 4548 .M33 2003
  • Encyclopedia of the American Constitution - Middle Level, Reference Table 2A: KF 4548 .E53 2000
  • Great American Court Cases - Middle Level, Reference Table 2A: KF 385 .A4G68 1999
  • American Landmark Legislation - Middle Level, Reference East Wall:  KF 68 .S5
  • The Oxford Guide to the United States Government - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 9 .P384 2001
  • American Political Leaders 1789-2000 - Middle Level, Reference Shelves:  E 176 .A513 2000
  • The American Bench - Middle Level, Reference East Wall:  KF 8700 .A19A17

Finding Supreme Court Cases

By Citation:

Decisions in U.S. Supreme Court cases are published by the federal government in a series entitled United States Reports. This series is found in our Government Documents (Middle Level, north end) reference collection at JU 6.8: J34. Cases are cited using the following format:  534 U.S. 112. The first number (534) indicates the volume number, the letters (U.S.) indicate that the citation is to the United States Reports, and the last number (112) is the page in volume 534 where the case starts. U.S. Supreme Court cases may also be found using citations at FindLaw.Com or Lexis-Nexis Academic (click on Legal at the top of the Lexis-Nexis home page then select the type of legal search you want on the right side of the page)

By Name: 

U.S. Supreme Court cases are often refered to by name (eg. Roe v. Wade). Unfortunately, the formats used for case names are not consistent. Both FindLaw.Com and Lexis-Nexis Academic allow you to search by case name, although this is more difficult than searching by citation.  Fortunately, most legal publications will provide both the case name and citation when refering to a case

Briefs and Arguments:

Briefs and arguments for important Supreme Court decisions may be found in Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the United States:  Constitutional Law (current ten years are shelved on the Middle Level, Reference East Wall at KF 101.8 .L36; earlier editions are shelved on the Top Level at the same call number). Cases are organized by year of decision and case name. Audio recordings of oral arguments for selected cases are available at Oyez, a free Supreme Court multimedia database.

Finding Federal Legislation

By Public Law Number: 

When a law is passed by Congress, it is assigned a Public Law Number and published in a series known as United States Statutes at Large. This series is found in our Government Documents (Main Level, north end) reference collection at AE 2.111. Public law numbers are normally indicated using the following format:  P.L. 107-115. The letters (P.L.) are an abbreviation for Public Law, the first number (107th) indicates the Congress that passed the law, and the second number (115) indicates the number assigned to that law by the Congress that passed it. When looking for this law, you will need to locate the volume(s) of the United States Statutes at Large for the 107th Congress and find law number 107-115. You may also search by public law number on FindLaw.Com or Lexis-Nexis Congressional.

By United States Statutes at Large Citation:

Some legal and legislative resources will cite laws passed by Congress using United States Statutes at Large citations in the following format: 115 Stat. 2118. The first number (115) refers to volume number (not number of the Congress), the letters (Stat.) indicate that the citation is to United States States at Large, and the last number (2118) refers to the page in volume 115 where the text of the law begins.

By Name:

Many acts of Congress are also given a name, such as the USA PATRIOT ACT or the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001. If the name includes a year, you can usually find it by looking for the volume(s) of the United States Statutes at Large for the year in question. Otherwise, the best way to find them is to search by name or subject using FindLaw.Com or Lexis-Nexis Congressional.

By United States Code Citation:

A year or two following passage of a law, the government adds it to a compilation known as the United States Code, the print version of which is found in our Government Documents (Middle Level, north end) reference collection at Y 1.2/5. The United States Code is organized by subject areas instead of law name or number. In many cases, portions of a specific act will be put into different sections (known as Titles) of the code because they cover different areas of the law or effect different federal agencies.  Citations to the United States Code use the following format:  19 U.S.C. § 52. The first number (19) indicates the Title (section) of the code, the letters (U.S.C.) indicate that the citation is to the United States Code, and the last number (§ 52) indicates the specific section of the Title where the law if found. You may also access the U.S. Code on a number of web sites, including FindLaw.Com, Lexis-Nexis Congressional, and the Cornell University U.S. Code site.

Congressional Debate, Voting Records and Legislative Histories: 

Several resources are available to investigate the context in which a specific bill became law:

  • Congressional Record - Government Documents X 1.1/A. For assistance ask at Reference Desk. Available from 1985 to present in LexisNexis Congressional
    This is the official record of debate in the Senate and House of Representatives.  It is organized by date.  To find a record of debate on a specific law, consult the Congressional Record for the day on which the law was passed, as well as previous dates when the law was debated.  Use the index to help identify dates when congress debated the bill.
  • Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 1 .C7491
    This weekly publication provides detailed information on federal legislative activity for each week Congress is in session.
  • Congressional Quarterly Almanac - Middle Level, Reference Shelves: JK 1 .C749
    This annual print publication summarizes federal legislative activity on a yearly basis.  Consult the index of the volume for the year in which a law was passed to find a description of the legislation and the context in which it passed, including the results of roll call votes, etc.
  • Lexis-Nexis Congressional
    Provides access to all kinds of information regarding congress, including references to testimony presented before congressional committees and complete legislative histories for a number of important acts of congress.  You can search the database in a number of ways, including name, subject, and public law number.

Finding Books

Online Catalogs: 

Use library online catalogs to find availability and location of books and other media:

Browse the Shelves: 

Most of the books on Political Science are located on the Top Level of the library in the General Collection under the call numbers J through JZ.  Books of interest may also be found under KF [Law], E [American History], HN [Social History],  HV [Criminal Justice], HX [Socialism], and B [Philosophy]

Bibliographies: 

When you find a good book or article, check the bibliography to identify other books and articles on your subject.

Interlibrary Loan: 

If we do not own a particular book you need, we will borrow it for you from another library through Interlibrary Loan.

Finding Articles

Online Article Databases: 

Use Social and Behavior Sciences article databases to find magazine and journal articles by subject or keyword.  An excellent place to start is Academic Search Premier, which contains the full-text of articles from many peer-reviewed journals; be sure to put a check in the box next to "Peer Reviewed or Refereed" in order to limit your search to such journals. Another important database is World Wide Political Science Abstracts, which provides citations (but no full-text) to articles in hundreds of peer-reviewed journals in Political Science and related fields.  If you find a citation and the article is not available in full-text on the computer, check our electronic journals list to see if we subscribe to the journal in electronic form. If not, check our Online Catalog to see if we have the journal in print. If we do not have access to it in print or electronic form, you can always request the article via Interlibrary Loan.

Newspaper Databases: 

Use News article databases to find newspaper articles by subject or keyword.

Electronic Journals: 

The library also provides access to many full-text electronic journals in Political Science and related fields. All of these allow you to browse the table of contents of journal issues and many allow you to search all available issues by keyword. You can search our collection of electronic journals by subject or by words in the title. Try searching for politics, political, foreign affairs, international relations, etc.

Browse Current Periodicals: 

Current issues of magazines and journals in Political Science and related fields are found in the J section of the Current Periodicals Area on the Middle Level of the library. Bound volumes of older issues are shelved in the General Collection on the Top Level.

Bibliographies: 

When you find a good book or article, check the bibliography to identify other books and articles on your subject.

Interlibrary Loan: 

If the article you need is not available in our library, we will obtain a copy of it for you from another library through Interlibrary Loan.

Web Resources

A good place to begin is the Stewart Library's list of web resources in Political Science. Most of the sites listed will provide links to additional sites, so explore! Use Internet search engines to find additional information.

Research Tips

As you do your research, keep the following tips in mind:


Updated October 23, 2007 . Please send comments to Wade Kotter
Weber State University, Stewart Library. Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved.