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Research Guides

PO203 Research Methods - Lucas: Reference Sources

Reference sources include encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries. They are a great place to begin your research, since they can help with the following:

Offer ideas for possible research topics
Give you background information on your topic
Define unfamiliar terms
Suggest keywords to use when searching for books and articles
Point you to books and articles on your topic, via "reference" lists

Congress and the Nation
Call Number: REF KF49 .C653

ISBN: 1047-1324

Publication Date: Released every 4 years (1945-Present)

An overview of Congressional activity plus key votes.

In print: Vols. 1-13 (covering the years 1945-2012)
Electronic (via Sage): Vols. 14-15 (covering the years 2013-2020)
CQ Almanac
Call Number: REF JK1 .C67

ISBN: 1944-5520 (ISSN)

Publication Date: Published annually

Includes the full House and Senate vote record.
Democratic, Republican and Third Parties in America : An Encyclopedia
Call Number: ONLINE in EBSCO

ISBN: 9780765680808
Encyclopedia of American Civil Rights and Liberties
Call Number: REF KF4748 .E53 2006

ISBN: 0313327580
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
Call Number: REF E183.7 .E52 2002

ISBN: 9780684806570
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
Call Number: REF E183.7 .E52 2002

ISBN: 9780684806570
Encyclopedia of Politics: The Left and the Right
Call Number: REF JA61 .E54 2005

ISBN: 1412904099
Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics
Call Number: ONLINE in Gale Ebooks

ISBN: 9781452290263
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
Call Number: Ref KF4548 .E53 2000

ISBN: 0028648803

For finding constitutional law.
Encyclopedia of the American Legislative System
Call Number: REF JF501 .E53 1994

ISBN: 0684192438
Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
Call Number: REF JK511 .E53 1994

ISBN: 0132759837
Encyclopedia of Political Communication
Call Number: ONLINE in Gale Ebooks

ISBN: 9781412953993
Encyclopedia of the United States Congress
Call Number: REF JK1067 .E63 1995

ISBN: 0132763613

Lengthy but dated essays on big issues like education and immigration. Good for historical background on Congressional activity.
Governing America: Major Decisions of Federal, State, and Local Governments from 1789 to the Present
Call Number: ONLINE in Gale Ebooks

ISBN: 9781438135472
The Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History by Michael Kazin (Editor); Rebecca Edwards (Editor); Adam Rothman (Editor)
Call Number: Online

ISBN: 9780691129716

Publication Date: 2009

Also in Print: REF E183 .P85 2010
Vital Statistics on American Politics
Call Number: REF JK274 .V582

ISBN: 1534-4762

Publication Date: Selected years - See catalog record
Vital Statistics on the Presidency: George Washington to George W. Bush
Call Number: REF JK518 .R338 2009

ISBN: 9780872895294

America at the Polls, 1920-1956
Call Number: NHIOP JK524 .M329 1994

ISBN: 1568020589
America at the Polls, 1960-2000
Call Number: REF JK524 .M329 2001

ISBN: 1568026048
American Presidential Campaigns and Elections
Call Number: ONLINE in EBSCO

ISBN: 9780765682567

Publication Date: 2012

Detailed discussion and analysis of every campaign and election night.

2003 Edition in Print: REF JK1965 .A57 2003
Exit Polls: Surveying the American Electorate, 1972-2010
Call Number: REF JK2007 .B47 2012

ISBN: 1608717410
Guide to Political Campaigns in America
Call Number: General Collection JK2265 .G84 2005

ISBN: 9781568028767
Guide to U.S. Elections
Call Number: ONLINE in CQPress

ISBN: 9781604265361
Presidential Elections, 1789-2008: County, State, and National Mapping of Election Data
Call Number: Ref JK524 .D47 2010
A Statistical History of the American Electorate
Call Number: REF JK1967 .R87 2001

ISBN: 1568023642
United States Presidential Primary Elections, 1968-1996
Call Number: REF JK522 .C66 2000

ISBN: 1568024517

The Encyclopedia of Democracy by Seymour Martin Lipset
Call Number: Ref JC423 .E53 1995

ISBN: 0871878860
Encyclopedia of Human Rights by David P. Forsythe
ISBN: 9780195334029
Encyclopedia of Nationalism (Vol 1): Fundamental Themes
Call Number: ONLINE in Credo

ISBN: 9780122272301

Publication Date: 2000
Encyclopedia of Nationalism (Vol 2): Leaders, Movements, and Concepts
Call Number: ONLINE in Credo

ISBN: 9780122272301

Publication Date: 2000
Encyclopedia of Sustainability
Call Number: ONLINE in Gale Ebooks

ISBN: 9780313352621
The Encyclopedia of the Cold War by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor); Priscilla Mary Roberts (Contribution by); John S. D. Eisenhower (Foreword by)
Call Number: Ref D840 .E63 2008

ISBN: 9781851097012
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations
Call Number: ONLINE in Credo

ISBN: 9780313323829

Publication Date: 2002
The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World
Call Number: ONLINE in Oxford

ISBN: 9780195117394
The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace
Call Number: ONLINE in Oxford

ISBN: 9780195334685
Political Handbook of the World 2022-2023 by Tom Lansford (Editor)
Call Number: ONLINE in CQ Press

ISBN: 9781071853030

Publication Date: 2015 - Present
The Statesman's Yearbook
Call Number: REF JA51 .S7

ISBN: 9780230248021
Women and Politics around the World: A Comparative History and Survey
Call Number: ONLINE in Gale Ebooks

ISBN: 9781851099894