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Policy Studies: Starting Points

Keep up with your Books

Print Reference Sources

Basic Article Databases

Use popular and political journals and magazines to find a research topic of interest.

Library Catalog for Books/eBooks

You can search for books in the catalog by limiting to "@ClemsonLibraries".  

  • Use an asterisk * to find varied word endings:  
    •  agricultur* finds agriculture and agricultural
  • Use quotation marks to keep phrases together:
    • "agricultur* policy"
  • Look at full records to discover standard search terms:
    • Food Supply -- Political Aspects -- United States
    • Food Security -- Developing Countries
  • To find E-Books, add "electronic books" to your search:
    • "food supply" "electronic books"

Scholarly Books are Secondary Sources

Evidence of scholarship:

  • Published by a university or specialized press
  • In-depth coverage
  • Lengthy bibliography
  • Academic author

Political Magazines

These magazines deal with government & policy issues

  • American Prospect
  • American Spectator
  • The Atlantic
  • CQ Weekly
  • The Economist
  • National Journal
  • National Review
  • The New Republic
  • The New York Review of Books
  • The New Yorker

What if Clemson Doesn't Own the Book I Need?