Finding Library Resources (POSC and Law & Society): Home
Guide overview
This online guide contains information about how to start your research, and how to access Library resources.
In the middle column, you will see resources to help you identify peer-reviewed journals, how to evaluate different kinds of sources, and where to find more about citation formats. There are also links to other POSC and L&S subject guides.
In the column on the right, you will see resources about how to search OneSearch, the Library catalogue, as well as other Political Science and newspaper Databases.
If you have questions about research, or library services please click here to contact the library
If you have questions about Library services during the Pandemic, see the Library FAQ
Finding Canadian Hansard (Debates) and other Government Documents
- Search Canadian Hansard onlineSearch Linked Parliamentary Debates for transcripts from Hansard, ranging from 1901 to the present.
- Canadian Parliamentary PublicationsView online Canadian Government publications including Debates (Hansard), Journal, Committee Reports and more.
How Research Sources Differ
Reference sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries...)
- Provide a broad overview of a subject
- Provide you with background information - the general knowledge and vocabulary you need to help you understand more scholarly sources
- Help you define terms and interpret concepts
Books
- More in-depth coverage than a reference source gives
- Explore and analyze a topic
- Can help you to clarify and narrow down your research topic
Periodical articles
- Provide information on very specific topics, or specific details of a broader subject
- Good source for criticism, synthesis, and analysis of a topic
- New articles often contain the most current research on a topic
Websites
- Can be used at various points in the research process
- Some give good general knowledge, some more specific
- User beware! Lots of unreliable information out there...
Identifying Scholarly Periodicals
Evaluating other sources
- Scholarly, Trade, or Popular? Use this table to identify common differences between scholarly, trade and popular publications
- How to evaluate information resources Tips for identifying scholalry research
- How to Evaluate Websites How do you know if a website is good for research? Look here for more.
Citation
- Citation guidesAPA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and more
- Citation managersUse a citation manager to store your citations and format your bibliographies.
More POSC and L&S-related Guides
Using OneSearch
- Simple Search (1:16)This video shows how to start searching in OneSearch.
- Advanced Search (:53)This video shows how to conduct a more complex search in OneSearch.
- Using OneSearch (Written Guide)This links you to written instructions about how to use OneSearch
- Go to the OneSearch advanced search screenThis link goes directly to the OneSearch Advanced search screen. You can also begin searching in OneSearch by using the search box directly below.
- Checking out books during CovidThe Library has large e-books collections.
However, during the pandemic, you may also need to borrow hard copies of books. You will be able to check out books using the Library's contact-less pickup service--see link above for more
OneSearch
Find articles and more
Search two major Political Science databases at once: PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts.
To search more Political Science library databases, go here
How to Find POSC and L&S Databases
- Finding Law and Society Databases (1:31)This video explains how to find Law and Society Databases. See the videos in the box below for tips about how to search a database
- How to find POSC Databases (1:18)This video explains how to find the POSC database list. Most of the general POSC databases are Proquest, so the next videos will show you how to use them.
How to search a Proquest Database (for POSC and L&S)
- Advanced Search 1 (4:59)This video shows you how to do a search and narrow down your search results
- Advanced Search 2 (1:32)This video shows how to save your articles to the "My Research" file, or email them to yourself
A Guide for finding newspapers (POSC and L&S)
- Finding newspapersThis link will connect you to a guide that will show you more about how to search for newspaper articles using Proquest, Factiva, Eureka or LexisUni.