The Trexler Library: Muhlenberg College

Inequality and U.S. Public Policy

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
IM: jjarson1 (AIM, Yahoo, add @hotmail.com for MSN)

Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (for Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo; add @hotmail.com for MSN)
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information and other ways to get help.

Finding Public Laws

Browse for public laws by session of Congress:
FDsys: Browse Public and Private Laws
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=PLAW
--Browse public laws by number/name. Access full-text of public laws.

Search for public laws by keyword or by number:
LexisNexis Congressional
http://0-web.lexis-nexis.com.library.muhlenberg.edu/congcomp or via Databases A to Z
--Choose Legislative Histories, Bills, & Laws on the left sidebar.
--Not sure which law you want to research? Try the Keyword Search tab to search by topic (select the Public Laws button).
--Already know the law you want to research (and its number)? Choose the Get a Document tab; then choose Public Laws in the drop-down; then enter the Public Law number.

Finding Legislation Leading Up To Public Law

Access the Bill Tracking Report:
LexisNexis Congressional
http://0-web.lexis-nexis.com.library.muhlenberg.edu/congcomp or via Databases A to Z
--Choose Legislative Histories, Bills, & Laws on the left sidebar.
--Choose the Get a Document tab; then choose Public Laws in the drop-down; then enter the Public Law number.
--From the Public Law full-text, choose the Bill Tracking Report link.

Finding Supporting Legislative Information

Access the Legislative History:
LexisNexis Congressional
http://0-web.lexis-nexis.com.library.muhlenberg.edu/congcomp or via Databases A to Z
--Choose Legislative Histories, Bills, & Laws on the left sidebar.
--Choose the Get a Document tab; then choose Legislative Histories in the drop-down; then enter the Public Law number.

Finding More Supporting Information

News Databases

Academic Search Premier
Full text access to scholarly and non-scholarly publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas.

LexisNexis Academic
Full text of thousands of newspapers, magazines, broadcast transcripts, business publications, legal materials, and more.

Finding Academic Literature: Understanding Impact

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

See a list of all article databases via the Library Homepage -- Databases A to Z (in the Quick Links box).

Check the Subject Guides (linked from the Library Homepage in the Research box) for other recommended databases for this and other subject areas.

Use UlrichsWeb Periodicals Directory (linked from the Library Homepage -- Online Reference Shelf (in the Quick Links box)) to find out information about individual journals, including whether or not they are peer-reviewed.

Start with...

PAIS International
Citations from 1972 to the present from scholarly journals, gray literature, government publications, and more from 120 countries on political, economic, social and public policy issues.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Indexes international serials literature in political science and complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy.

Find more with...

Academic Search Premier
Full text access to scholarly and non-scholarly publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas.

ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts
Indexes journals in sociology, psychology, political science, health, social work, education, and more.

JSTOR
Full text of scholarly journals from most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.

Omnifile (Wilson Web)
A database with some full text articles covering various academic subjects including general sciences, humanities, social sciences, and business.

Sage Journals Online
Full-text access to over 500 journals published by Sage, providing wide coverage of scholarly publications in all disciplines, but particularly the social sciences.

GETTING THE ARTICLES

When searching for articles in library databases, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.

Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.

Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title or by ISSN . Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.

If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.

Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.

Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage -- Interlibrary Loan (in the Quick Links box) -- Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

Citing Your Sources

For help using APA, Chicago, or MLA Style, consult the following resources:

Trexler Library Citation Guides
http://muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/citations.html
GETTING THERE: Library Homepage -- Citation Guides (in the Research box)

UW-Madison Writing Center Writer's Handbook
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Documentation.html