Research Guides: Political Science and Public Affairs: International Studies

Find Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

To search for political science resources, use try one databases listed below. To cast the widest net for your topic, use the EBSCO Quick Search box and type in your topic.

Political Science This link opens in a new window
Political science and international relations journals, dissertations and working papers on topics such as comparative politics, political economy, international development, and environmental policy.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
This major research database for Sociology indexes over 3,300 journal and other titles. It contains full text for 242 "core" coverage journals dating back to 1895 and 72 "priority" coverage journals. The database also includes full text for 547 books and 6,711 conference papers. In addition there is a 15,600 term sociology-specific thesaurus and searchable cited references.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
This is an interdisciplinary database useful for finding political science, public affairs, and international studies scholarly and popular information.

If you are looking for a specific scholarly journal (e.g., American Political Science Review), search it here and follow the links to the date/volume you need.

Library Catalog: Journal Title Search

Books

Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Search the library's collection to find books, e-books, films, and more. Many political scientists share their expertise in the form of scholarly books.

General Information

UN Data
The United Nations collects/reports a wide variety of statistics. This is an access system to UN databases. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.
CIA World Factbook
Concise profiles of the countries of the world, updated regularly. Great first stop for background, quick facts, and statistics.
International Relations - Oxford Bibliographies
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets
Up-to-date details on the relationship between U.S. and each country.

News and Newspapers

Note: The depth and quality of reporting will vary among sources. English language news sources are often aimed toward a western audience and are sometimes owned by Western companies. The country's laws/policies/attitudes regarding freedom of the press. Check out the 2016 World Press Freedom Index for more information and rankings for each country.

International News Sources This link opens in a new window
Newsbank database contains over 1000 international news sources, including newspapers, blogs, newswires, and broadcast transcripts. Some sources date back to the 1980s.

International News Research Guide
Guide for finding world news sources, including links to many English-language world news sources.

United Nations

United Nations Topic Index
United Nations Digital Library
Find documents, votes, speeches, and more.
Official Documents System of the United Nations
Full text of United Nations official documentation, 1993-present with some older materials. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards.
Dag Hammarskjöld Library Research Guides
Very helpful guide from the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library - especially useful for beginning research into UN activities.
Directory of United Nations System Organizations
The United Nations system is made up of the organizations established by the Charter of the United Nations.

Organizations

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
A directory of non-governmental organizations with "links to high-quality English-language sources of information and analysis in a wide range of international affairs, international relations, international studies, global studies, and global education topics." Includes links to some principal organizations like Amnesty International, Global Exchange, Global Youth Connect, Green Net, the National Peace Corps Association, and more.
Non-Governmental Organizations Guide from Duke University (NGOs)
Includes a NGO search engine and other guides to locating and understanding Non-Governmental Organizations (such as UNICEF).
Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
A comprehensive list of Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) from Northwestern University.

Statistics and Data

CIA World Factbook
Concise profiles of the countries of the world; good first stop for statistics.
Demographic Yearbook (United Nations)
The Demographic Yearbook compiles and disseminates official statistics on a wide range of topics. Data have been collected from national statistical authorities since 1948 through a set of questionnaires dispatched annually by the United Nations Statistics Division to over 230 national statistical offices.
Eurostat
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union. Its task is to provide the European Union with statistics at European level that enable comparisons between countries and regions.
Global Administrative Areas
Download data for use with Google Earth, ArcGIS, etc. to view 0, 1st, 2nd level administrative areas for countries across the world.
Google Earth file formats (and Google Earth itself) are recommended for users new to spatial data.
Human Development Reports
Statistics regarding indicators of human development. Indicators include topics such as migration (including refugee statistics), education, economics, and health/wellness. Can be searched by country or by indicator.
International Data Base: International Population Data from the US Census
International Historical Statistics
Statistics for all countries of the world; ranging from mid-1700s to early 2000s.
International Statistical Agencies: By Country
A list of international statistic programs (A-Z by country name) as compiled by the US Census Bureau.
An exception is for the UK. Use the Nomis website: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/
Our World in Data
Explore data dynamically by topic. Limit to the country or countries of your choice to compare trends and current data points.
Population Reference Bureau
Information about the population, health, and the environment. Use the DataFinder to search for information related to population, health, and environmental indicators.
Statoids
Website that details 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level administrative units for the countries of the world.
more...less...
Author also wrote "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries" in 1999.
UN Data
The United Nations collects/reports a wide variety of statistics. This is an access system to UN databases. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.

Political Science and Public Affairs

ASPA Style Guide

Other Helpful Guides