Databases like the ones listed here let you search for articles published in academic journals (and sometimes in academic books as well). They can be a useful alternative to searching Google when you need scholarly research.
Great database for finding articles in political science:
Also useful for finding research:
If research from law reviews (legal journals) may be helpful for your topic:
To find books by topic, choose Tripod Books + Media from the search options.
Use Tripod Journal Search to check if Swarthmore has access to a specific publication. You can look through Browzine to see most of the journals we subscribe to, organized by subject. (example: political science journals)