Databases are the first place to look for articles. Databases usually have information about an article (such as the title, author, name of the journal or magazine in which the article appeared) and they may also contain a summary (abstract) of the article.

Some databases have a complete copy of the articles (called full text). In this case there is a link to an HTML or PDF document.

The following are some suggested subject terms to use when searching:

Keywords

Keywords are the words that most accurately describe the topic you want.  As you search, look in the records you find for additional or more exact keywords or phrases to use. 

Synonyms

Think about different words an author might have used. 

AND, OR, NOT, Quotes and Stars

Use these special words ("operators") to connect your keywords --

AND -results must include both words. 

OR -results can contain either of the words. Use to link synonyms

NOT -results include one word and not the other. 

Quotes - (in most databases) the quoted words must appear together. 

Star - (in most databases) look for all variations after the *. 

Limit your Search

Depending on the database, this could be searching by Title, Author or Publication Date. Also look for "Descriptors" or "Subject terms" assigned to good articles, then search by those terms.

Ask a Librarian

Talk to the librarian at the reference desk for more tips.

 Begin your search in these recommended databases:

Use the link below to access a list of journal titles, in this subject, held by Hammermill Library.

Political Science Journals