Background Information and Identifying an Issue
Initial use of databases [i.e., scholarly search engines] designed to access a large volume of materials can be helpful in scanning the literature on a particular topic of debate and obtaining an initial understanding of how scholars, journalists, and others have studied it. Below are sources that facilitate this approach to understanding the literature on a topic.
USC Libraries Library CatalogA segment of the Libraries' general search engine that allows you to search for books, government documents, and other print and online materials. It does not include articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals. Those can be accessed using the databases listed below.
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JSTOR This link opens in a new windowA growing full text collection of core social science, humanities, and science journals and books.
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Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowFiltered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
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ProQuest Central This link opens in a new windowThe largest single periodical resource available, bringing together complete databases across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, as well as core titles in the Performing and Visual Arts, History, Religion, Philosophy, and includes thousands of full-text newspapers from around the world.
Key Databases in IR
Below are links to the most important databases that support the study of international relations and development.
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CIAO Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new windowComprehensive source for research in international affairs.
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SAGE Knowledge Video - Politics & International Relations This link opens in a new windowThis collection includes 132 hours and 314 videos that reinforce course fundamentals, introduce new perspectives and bring theory to life with in-practice examples.
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PAIS Index This link opens in a new windowFocuses on public policy, international relations, economic and social conditions. Includes articles, books, conference papers, government reports, and research reports, 1915-present.
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Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new windowDesigned to serve the information needs of students and researchers studying political science and international relations with coverage of complementary fields, such as international law and public administration/policy. The database offers abstracting and indexing of the literature in the field with scholarly journal titles from over 50 countries. Coverage: 1909 - current. Provided by ProQuest.
Specialized Databases
Topics related to international development are not only studied by scholars in international relations but can be examined in related areas of study. For example, the impact of development on the environment can be studied by scholars in ecology and environmental studies. The role of private companies in promoting development can be studied by researchers in business and law. Below are additional databases you should consider searching if your topic is likely to intersect disciplines outside of international relations.
Business and Economics
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ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new windowBusiness information, including journals, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, dissertations, conference proceedings, and market reports. Covers 1971-present. Includes US and international information.
Communications
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Communication Source This link opens in a new windowIncludes articles from peer-reviewed journals and trade magazines covering mass media, marketing, communications, and related topics.
Environment Policy
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Environment Index This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive database to journal articles covering all aspects of environmental policy and politics.
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Pollution Abstracts This link opens in a new windowThis database covers both research and governmental sources. Topics include: Air Pollution; Marine Pollution; Freshwater Pollution; Sewage and Wastewater Treatment; Waste Management; Land Pollution; Toxicology and Health; Noise; Radiation, and Environmental Action.
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Environmental Science Index This link opens in a new windowThis resource provides in-depth A&I coverage from the environmental science literature and related disciplines. Abstracts and citations are drawn from thousands of peer-reviewed journals, trade titles, conference proceedings, dissertations, and other varied content types from 1960 onward. Formerly known as Water Resources Abstracts; provided by ProQuest.
Law
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HeinOnline Law Journal Library This link opens in a new windowHeinOnline is an ever-expanding, comprehensive, image-based collection of legal periodicals.
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Nexis Uni (formerly LEXIS/NEXIS Academic) This link opens in a new windowDatabase of full text online news, legal cases, and company information from 1980 to present. Includes Nexis Dossier and Total Patent One.
Society and Social Issues
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Family & Society Studies Worldwide This link opens in a new windowFamily Studies Database is the world's most comprehensive, systematic, and non-evaluative resource of research, policy, and practice literature in the fields of Family Science, Human Ecology, and Human Development. FSD, including FAMILY, provides over 198,000 abstracts and bibliographic records drawn from over a thousand professional journals, books, popular literature, conference papers, government reports, and other sources, many of which are indexed exclusively in FSD. About 9,000 abstracts are added each year. Access to the database is limited to 5 concurrent users
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Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstract database of sociology and social and behavioral sciences literature from 1952 to present. Includes journal articles, conference papers, books, and dissertations.
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Women's Studies International This link opens in a new windowThis is an index to the core disciplines in women's studies and feminist research. Coverage includes more than 586,600 records and spans from 1972 to present. Over 2,000 periodical sources are represented.
Research Tips
Research Tip 1: Search Terms
A common challenge to finding relevant articles that support your analysis of a debate topic is identifying relevant search terms. Try using keywords instead of phrases when searching databases. So, instead of searching for What are the barriers to accessing healthcare in developing countries, use the advanced search option in the database and enter the term "access" in the first search box, "healthcare" in the second search box, and "developing countries" in the third search box. Note that most databases allow you to add additional search boxes.
Also be sure to try different searches using a variety of terms and synonyms for your keywords. For example, if you include the phrase developing countries in your search terms, you could miss out on articles that use term developing nations, use the less-common third world, or only address barriers to healthcare in a specific country, such as India, without using the term developing anywhere in the article.
Research Tip 2: Citation Tracking
A useful strategy to expand the scope of articles you find is to paste the title of the article from a database, such as, JSTOR or ProQuest Multiple into Google Scholar [link to Google Scholar from the USC Libraries’ main web page by scrolling down under Database Quick Links]. This allows you to see if anyone else has subsequently cited that article in their research by clicking on the “Cited by” link [e.g., Cited by 45--meaning the article you found has been cited in 45 other works since it was first published]. This is an excellent way to find related and identify more recent studies on your topic. Also, be sure to scan the list of sources the author used [footnotes or endnotes] within an article to identify additional relevant sources.