Research Guide for PAFF 522:
Public
Policy Process
Periodical Literature | Government Information | Policy Sources |
Local and Regional Information | Evaluating Internet Sources | Citing Sources
Periodical Literature (journals, news, public opinion)
Some of your contextual information for your policy process can be found using literature, from daily news sources, to popular news magazines and scholarly articles.
metaLINK is the Libraries' gateway to all our databases. If you are off-campus you will be asked to provide your PODS username and password. You can navigate metaLink a couple of different ways.
- Start by going under Social Sciences - Public Administration
A list of all databases related to Public Administration appear. If you are not familiar with a database, read its description before using it.
- Explore other metaLINK categories that are related to your topic.
Since Public Administration is an inter-displinary subject, you can often find useful literature in subject-specific databases outside of ones related to Public Administration. For instance, if your policy is "Early Head Start," then a logical place to also try some searching would be in the databases listed under the category of "Education."
- Try a Cross-Search
By picking "Public Admin" from the left column, you can search, using only a few keywords, across multiple databases at once. While this search is not ideal for in-depth searching, you might be able to quickly determine what databases will be most helpful in your search.
- Look for daily news sources by going to the Current Events and News category.
Also, don't forget:
-
Use Works Cited.
Always look at the "works cited" pages of the sources you do find for others relevant sources. This can help save you time and energy from finding these sources yourself through database searching.
Government Information (Laws, Regulations, and Court Decisions)
What to know?
Before you get started, you should know the following about your policy:
- The name (legal and popular) And
- Public Law number (ex: PL 103-99)
- Or Bill number (S. 5617 or HR 1421)
- And (if applicable) the exact title or section of the law/bill you are studying
General Information
Locating Government Information in BU Libraries and on the Internet
A good place to start if you are unfamiliar with how to find government information online.
Government Information
BU Libraries Main Gateway to federal, state, local, and international government information and legislation.
Google Government Search
Searches federal, state, and local government web sites and U.S. military sites. A good way to search for a particular document or site, but might be overwhelming for a keyword search.
Federal Agencies Directory
Locate specific agencies and departments. If you are unsure which agency or department might be most relevant to your research, consult the United States Government Manual. (UDC or Bartle Reference JK421 .A3)
Documents Center (UMich)
Large index to various government sources online. Also includes Documents in the News, a large selection of information arranged by topic.
CQ Researcher via metaLINK
This database can provide introductory information concerning the context of the policy at the the time it was a "hot topic," including an overview of the issue, background information, names of major players, chronology, and information about the bill(s) being considered.
Congressional Universe via metaLINK
Provides information about members of Congress from 1989-present, including party affiliation, committee membership, and donor information. For information on earlier members of Congress, consult the Official Congressional Directory (Bartle Library JK 1011).
Laws, Legislation, Regulations and Court Cases
Federal
Comprehensive list of sources available.
Research Guides - "How To's"
All the links below are pdf files. Paper copies are available at the Bartle Library in the Reference area.
The sources below not only provide lists of sources, but also provide research help, system explanations (ie. - how the federal court system works, lists of abbreviations, etc).
Databases
- Congressional Universe
Searches bills, laws, Federal Register, etc (Legislative History). Some full-text, with citations to non-full text sources.
- When using Congressional Universe, consult the two guides: U.S. Congressional Publications and Legislative Histories and U.S. Laws and Regulations to help determine if a document, law, print, hearing or report, is available in the Libraries if online access is not available.
- When using Congressional Universe, consult the two guides: U.S. Congressional Publications and Legislative Histories and U.S. Laws and Regulations to help determine if a document, law, print, hearing or report, is available in the Libraries if online access is not available.
- metaLink: Government Information Databases
General Information
These sites will help you understand how the legislative process works and how documents are created along the way.
- Legislative Process: A Summary (U.S House of Representatives)
- The Legal Process (North Harris College) - another summary, with SuDoc numbers of the related documents
- Legislative Process: Tutorial (UMich) - very in depth tutorial on legislative history, with great explanations on how the pieces fit together
State - Freely available information will vary greatly from state to state.
Sources available in the BU Libraries
- New York State: Legislative Branch
- McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York (Ref K .N4 A25). Also available via Westlaw.
- Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe: Legal Research
- Law Resources (BU Libraries Virtual Reference Desk)
- Government Information: U.S. States - Places to look for state links and information.
For a general overview, see Compiling the Legislative History of a New York State Law from the NYS Library.
Policy Sources
Public Administration and Policy
Links to non-partisan organizations that research public policy issues. Good background information for your topics.
Health Policy Organizations, Research Centers, Think Tanks
Links from PAFF541 class web page.
Congressional Budget Office
CBO provides Congress with analyses they need for economic and budget decisions. Includes full-text online documents such as briefs, letter, reports, technical reports. And testimony.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
This is a non-partisan public policy research unit of the U.S. Congress that produces thousands of public policy reports. Most are accessible only to members of Congress, Congressional committees and other government agencies. You can also acquire these reports by contacting your Congressional representative or by purchasing them through another private party. Some public reports are available at:
Open CRS - search engine for CRS reports.
University of North Texas CRS Reports - browse or search full text reports
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reports
"Congressional watchdog" agency that advises Congress and Executive departments and agencies; evaluates federal programs, audits federal expenditures, issues legal opinions, and recommends actions to Congress.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
OMB assists in in the development and resolution of all budget, policy, legislative, regulatory, procurement, e-gov, and management issues on behalf of the President.OMB Locator Service finds public documents.
TRIS Online (Transportation Research Information Services)
Database from the U.S. Department of Transportation that contains 500,000 records in transportation related fields. Includes books, articles, full-text research studies, technical reports, and conference papers.
Educause
Information regarding telecommunications, information technology and privacy policies in higher education.
Local and Regional Information
Local and regional information can often be obtained by searching newspapers (see Periodical Literature, above), as well as talking to various organizations, both government and non-profit, in your geographic area of interest. Below is a listing of such groups for the Southern Tier and NYS area, as well as links to directories that will help locate groups relevant to your area.
United Way of Broome County - A good starting point for finding local groups. Includes the First Call for Help database, which covers human services organizations for Broome, Chenago and Tioga counties.
Tier.Net Community Groups - A listing of non-profit groups in the Southern Tier area
Community Assessment - for links to demographic, economic, and health information
Lourdes Hospital and United Heath Services
Schools in New York (NYSED) - Directory of public and non-public schools in NYS
NYS County Health Departments (NYS Department of Health)
Directories - State Governments | County Governments | Local Governments | | Non-Profits |