Research Guides: POLS 068: Globalization (SC): Scholarly Articles

Choosing Search Terms

Choose search terms that you expect to find in written documents about your topic.

If you're looking for secondary sources (including journal articles or books written by scholars), use the language you would expect to find in a scholarly publication.

If you're looking for sources aimed at the public (newspapers, TV news transcripts, blogs), use more colloquial language when searching.

Especially when researching in political science, keep in mind that individuals with different opinions on an issue may use very different language to discuss it. For example, think about who uses the term anti-choice and who uses the term pro-life.

Here are some other ideas to consider:

Synonyms, technical terms
Transliterations and alternate spellings
Alternate or historical place names (e.g. Beijing / Peking)
Maiden names
Initials and full names
British spellings
Spellings and terms in use during the time period or in the region/country
Abbreviations vs. full words

Once you have found a few sources on your topic, take note of the language that is being used and incorporate it into your search.

Article Databases

Use subject-specific databases to find scholarly articles on your topic. By using Political Science-specific databases, you can more easily hone in on relevant articles (since there will be fewer irrelevant articles in your results).

Search Tips:

Use the * to search for variations on your search term. Example: Mexic* will search for Mexico, Mexican, Mexicans
Works in: Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, PAIS International, Proquest Political Science, Hein Online, and GenderWatch
Use double quotes "like this" to only search for a specific phrase. Example: "drug trafficking"
Rather than entering keywords that you think describe the topic, try to think about which words would be included in a scholarly article written on your topic and use those as your search terms.
To find results that are more directly relevant to your topic, try limiting your search to just words in the abstract (summary) or title.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
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Provides citations and abstracts of journals in political science and related fields including international relations, law, and public administration/policy. Covers 1975-present.
Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) Index
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Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, intergovernmental, and private organizations reports. Areas covered include political, economic, social and public policy issues. Covers 1915-present.
JSTOR
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Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.
ProQuest Political Science Database
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Provides access to over 240 leading political science and international relations journals. This collection provides full-text of many core titles included in Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage from 1985 to present.
HeinOnline
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Provides searchable database of full text legal journals including both US and international publications. You may find interesting articles on your topic published in law review journals (although be aware that they may be very technical given the focus on the law). Recommended starting points include searching political science journals and international & non-US law journals.
GenderWatch
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Offers full-text access to scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, books, conference proceedings, government and non-governmental organization reports. Materials focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. Provides a historical perspective on the evolution of the women's movement and changes in gender roles. Covers 1970-present.