PSCI 3450: Latin American Politics Guide
Overview
The following guide is intended to help you begin your library research in PSCI 3450. The information sources are divided into three categories: books (monographs), journal articles, and newspaper articles.
If you are having any difficulties finding information, please visit the Central Reference Desk in Waldo Library for one-on-one assistance with your library research.
Contact information for me, Maria Perez-Stable, is found at the bottom of this Web site.
Finding Books
Classic Library Catalog WMU's Classic online catalog (also known as WestCat), is used to identify books (including electronic books), government documents, journals, audio and video, slides, music scores, and other items in the University Libraries' collections. The catalog can be searched by title, author, subject heading, keyword, call number, and more.
Use the ADVANCED SEARCH mode to look for your particular topic. Keep your search terms simple and remember to use the question mark ? at the end of any keywords that might have variant endings, such as plurals.
Here is an example of a search you might do in the Advanced Search mode:
In the 1st box type: land reform?
In the 2nd box type: brazil
Remember, you get your results in reverse chronological order with the most recent books appearing at the top of your list.
How to Find Articles
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts An index with abstracts to articles from over 1,100 international journals in political science and related disciplines. Includes book reviews. Based on the Political Science Abstracts from Plenum and ABC POL SCI from ABC-CLIO. Coverage: 1975 to the present. Updated monthly.
CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online CIAO is a database of full text resources for theory and research in international affairs. It includes working papers from university research institutes and NGOs, proceedings from conferences, books, journals, policy briefs, case studies and course packs. Includes basic data and statistics collected by EIU on 203 countries. Coverage from 1991.
HAPI Online: Hispanic American Periodicals Index This index leads to information about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the United States-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the United States. It indexes articles, book reviews (through 2001), documents, original literary works, and other materials in more than 500 key social science and humanities journals published throughout the world. Many of the citations are linked to full text. Coverage from 1970 to date.
PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service) Indexes articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, research reports, statistical directories, and more about public affairs worldwide. Coverage is from 1972 and is updated monthly.
Social Sciences Abstracts Indexes over 600 periodicals in anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, feminist studies, geography, human services, international relations, law and criminology, police science, political science, population studies, psychology, public administration, public health, social work, sociology, urban studies, and related social science subjects. Coverage: indexing from 1983 and abstracts from 1994. Updated weekly.
Details
News Sources
LexisNexis Academic Indexes thousands of domestic and foreign newspapers, as well as journals, and other publications in News, Business company reports and articles, Legal Research, Medical and Reference. The legal research category includes law reviews, law news, federal and state laws and cases. Mostly full text. Includes Hoover's full text. Coverage dates vary.
Choose the Guided News Search option at the top of the search screen. In addition to searching General News from the first pull-down menu, you should select World News in the pull-down menu under Step One. Then in Step Two, use the pull-down menu and select North/South America News Sources to get additional newspaper articles on your particular topic.
Latin American News Sources Professor Rhodes's Web site on Latin American newspapers will be very useful for your research.
Citing Sources
Your instructor requires that you use the Style Manual for Political Science (published by the American Political Science Association--APSA) to cite your references.
Style Manual for Political Science
JA 86 .A52x 2001 (Ref Desk Coll)
This is the style manual published by the American Political Science Association (APSA). It includes information on submission forms, text style, and how to formulate citations and references.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center has good Web site that outlines how to cite references according to the American Political Science Association.
Ask A Librarian
Maria A. Perez-Stable
maria.perez-stable@wmich.edu
269-387-5322
Last updated: August 2009