1. Start by looking for sources about "the big picture" for your topic that enable you to identify key participants, dates, events, and concepts. Review articles like those found in Annual Reviews and Oxford Bibliographies or Reference Books/e-books can help you get a sense of the state of knowledge on your topic.
2. Make the most of the library's databases. The library subscribes to many subject-specific databases that will restrict your search to only political science or other social science sources. See the for Databases section of this guide links to these.
3. Exploit good bibliographies. If there's a great book or article related to your topic, check out what that author cited. If you find a source that is highly relevant to your topic, search for it in Google Scholar and use the "Cited By" link to find out who has cited it since it was published.
4. Don't wait until the last minute. Start to research now so that you have time to request any materials you might need from E-ZBorrow/Interlibrary Loan.
5. Make a research appointment with the Political Science Librarian for one-on-one help.
