CMC Psychology 180: Daniel Krauss, Fall 2001
Forensic Psychology

If you have questions about any of these resources or if you would like to schedule an appointment to work on your particular research topic, please contact Mary Martin in Honnold/Mudd Library, ext.18923 (621-8923) mary.martin@libraries.claremont.edu.

Finding Information in American Government

• General Information
• Selected Subject Headings in American Government & Politics
• Finding Books
• Finding General and Popular Articles Using Database Indexes
• Finding Information on American Government & Politics Using the WWW

General Information

• Help With Library Research- Links to web pages that give specific help with Library Research.
• Citing Your Sources  - For help with citation of sources, both paper and electronic. There are two helpful sites for this. For non-governmental information the Libraries' Guide to citation is excellent.
• Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (1999-2000 ed.) by Peter W. Martin [WWW site] A site which provides guides to citing legal sources, both in traditional and electronic format.
• Brief Guide to Citing Government Information - For help with citing government information resources, this site is extremely helpful.

Selected Subject Headings in American Government & Politics

Back To Contents List

Finding Books

• Blais - the online catalog of the Libraries of the Claremont Colleges (DEN, HON, SGM, SPR), is searchable by keyword, author, title, subject, and call number.  In addition to materials in the four libraries, Blais also includes materials at the Claremont School of Theology (STC), Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens (RSA), and the Center for Research Libraries (in Chicago). Books can be searched by author, title, or subject. If you are unsure of the exact title or if your subject search doesn't produce the results you hoped for, try a "Words in title" search using two or three of the most significant words from he title or subject you are trying to find. Subject searching requires use of Library of Congress Subject Headings. A list of possible subject headings is provided above.
• Link+ -Union catalog and book request service that allows Claremont Colleges students, faculty and staff to borrow books unavailable at our Libraries. This new service is expected to provide faster delivery of materials than traditional Interlibrary Loan Services. Participating libraries include CSU Fullerton, CSU Hayward, CSU Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Diego State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Occidental College, and the Claremont Colleges.
• WorldCat on FirstSearch - Union catalog of over 36 million records of any type of material cataloged by OCLC member libraries. Includes manuscripts written as early as the 11th century.  Firstsearch) -- has holdings of most libraries in North America and the U.K.. These materials may be borrowed through ILL.

Finding General and Popular Articles in Journals and Newspapers Using Database Indexes

Indexes are available in both paper and electronic formats. Although electronic indexes are generally easier to use, for some subjects there are no electronic indexes; for others, the best indexes are paper. The Libraries have both paper and electronic versions of many indexes. Keep in mind, whether you are looking for articles in scholarly journals or popular magazines, most electronic indexes only cover fairly recent publications. Many do not cover articles written before the 1980's.  If you need to find earlier articles, you will probably have to use paper indexes.

If you need a scholarly article on your subject, written by an expert and based on research, use an index which covers scholarly journals.  Remember that sometimes the best index for your research needs is a paper index, not an online database.

Use the list of Alphabetical List of Databases or the Subject Listing (directly below the link to the Alphabetical List) or the appropriate Subject Research Guide for more suggestions on the best databases for your research.

Use the following print and CDROM indexes to find articles and other materials on specific topics. For questions, please do not hesitate to call Mary Martin, U.S. Government Publications, Law and International Relations, at extension x18923.

• Academic Universe (Lexis/Nexis) This is a full-text database consisting of millions of articles covering the fields of business, law and legislation, and general news. There are terminals available in the Reference, Government Publications, and Asian Studies departments. You may also Telnet through the Library Services Menu.
• FirstSearch This reference service provides dozens of databases, including the OCLC union catalogWorldCat.WorldCat contains more than 25 million bibliographic records, representing holdings of more than 9000 libraries. FirstSearchcan also be used to search approximately 2 dozen periodical and other reference databases such as the full-text Wilson Select.
• PAIS   Index to public policy and social issues, information in a wide range of subjects. On Ovid back to 1972. Contains selected citations to journal articles, books, government documents and reports. Also indexes foreign language publications. Library has paper and electronic sources, although limited coverage in electronic format. Available in paper back to the early 1900's.
• PsycINFO provides indexing to and summaries of the world’s periodical literature in psychology and related disciplines from 1887 to the present, covering over 1300 journals in 27 languages. Since 1987, books and books chapters have also been indexed.On Ovid back to 1872.
• Sociological Abstracts: Covers the world's literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.  Contains citations and abstracts from over 2000 journals, plus relevant dissertation listings, abstracts of conference papers and selected books, and citations of book reviews.  Records include a field stating which journals are held by the Libraries of The Claremont Colleges.  On Ovid, covers 1974 to present.
• Westlaw Campus  Westlaw Campus Provides full-text access to law cases, federal and state, legal subject guides, law reviews, statutes and administrative materials, legislative materials and legal encyclopedias. Cases go back to 1945, and the Federal Register back to 1980. Key search allows searching by Westlaw's keynote system of indexing. This resource is available outside the Libraries only to students, faculty and staff of The Claremont Colleges.
• Social Sciences Abstracts covers subjects in the social sciences (economics, psychology, government, etc.). One advantage of these three databases is that the Libraries have most of the journals they index. Coverage begins in the 1980's. Coverage for earlier years is available in paper indexes.

Finding Information on American Government & Politics Using the Web

• Academic Universe (Lexis/Nexis) This is a full-text database consisting of millions of articles covering the fields of business, law and legislation, and general news.  Also has more than 650 full-text information sources such as newspaper articles, journals, newsletters, wire services, and broadcast transcripts, which are updated as often as daily. There are legal resource files, which contain primary sources such as cases, statutes, and regulations as well as secondary materials such as law review articles etc.You may access Academic Universe through the Library Web Page. You may also Telnet through the Library Services Menu.
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: Supreme Court Collection This site provides access to all Supreme Court cases back to 1990, and 600 selected cases Back to 1793. Searchable by party name, topic, and opinion author.
• Government Information Resources Home Page – This page has been developed specifically for the use of students, faculty and staff of the Claremont Colleges. Provides links to departmental information, Government Agencies, specific subject guides, alphabetical lists popular sites, and several more specific pages.
• Law (Government Information Resources Home Page) - his section of the Government page has been specially designed to provide guidance in using a few specialized resources available in various formats in the libraries or by using the Library Home Page.
• Supreme Court of the United States This site is newly created bu the Supreme Court itself, and has links to the calendar and schedules, court rules, docket, orders and opinions.
• United States Government Printing Office: Keeping America Informed - GPO Access  Describes the mission of the U.S. Government Printing Office. Provides links to GPO Access: sites for the Federal Register, Congressional Records, bills, and GAO reports. Indexes federal government publications since January 1994 and will ultimately provide links to federal depository libraries receiving those publications. Indexes Dept. of Energy and GPO sales publications.