USAFA Library Guides: Political Science: Getting Started

Welcome!

This guide provides information on a broad range of topics in political science and resources to help you do research. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need help with your research.

If you are having trouble getting started, try reading a few articles from the listed sources. Look for major concepts and words or phrases that are repeated in the article, as well as references cited that can help you spot credible sources for your topic.

Concepts of Political Science

A selective list of resources to help students learn about political science concepts and aspects of politics.

The A-Z of International Relations
Geopolitics terms explained in plain language by The Economist
Encyclopedia of Elections
All about elections from the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network
International Encyclopedia of Political Science
Extensive coverage of key areas in political science
Introduction to Comparative Government & Politics
Open Educational Resource gives context to concepts of comparative politics with a case or comparative study in each chapter
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This book is shared under a NonCommercial 4.0 International license, and authored by Dino Bozonelos, Julia Wendt, Charlotte Lee, Jessica Scarffe, Masahiro Omae, Josh Franco, Byran Martin, & Stefan Veldhuis (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI))
Introduction to Political Science
OpenStax introduction to global political systems & concepts
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Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Provides an overview of theories of concepts in political philosophy

Getting Started with a Topic

Several sources to help you choose a topic to write a research paper on a current event or policy issue.

Congressional Research Service
Find overviews, briefs, and insights on key topics confronting Congress and reports on major national and security policy issues. To view topics, click the "Search" button without entering a search term.
CQ Magazine
Browse articles by topic for a brief overview of current issues and spotlights of leading figures in US government and politics
CQ Researcher
Search for topics and reports on government functions and institutions, human rights, international relations, conflicts, and much more. Reports typically include statistics, charts, graphs, and maps.
Global Conflict Tracker
Provides updates on major conflicts that impact US global interests
Pew Research Center
Nonpartisan fact tank presents a wide range of research topics on politics & policy, international affairs, immigration, and so on
ProCon.org
Nonpartisan source to learn about the pro and con arguments of an issue associated with politics and society, etc.
ProQuest Congressional: Browse Topics
Offers information on a wide range of political and current topics

Country Reports and Profiles

BBC Country Profiles
Learn about the history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and relevant major institutions
Europa World Plus
General and regional country surveys and organizations
Freedom House: Countries & Territories
Select a country for a full country narrative report, including rating of people's access to political rights and civil liberties
Global Road Warrior
Information on countries worldwide with coverage on the government, culture, society, demographics, and much more
The Global State of Democracy Initiative
Get analysis and data on the state and quality of democracy for countries across the world with country profiles & reports
IPU Parline
Reference point on parliaments of the world including electoral data
Political Handbook of the World
Comprehensive reference guide of government & political systems worldwide with insight into current political issues
The World Factbook (CIA)
Background on countries worldwide -- geography, government, military, people and society, transnational issues, and more

Research Methods

SAGE Handbook of Research Methods in Political Science & International Relations (2020)
Guides you through the design, methods, and analysis of issues in Political Science and International Relations.
Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure & Methods (2020)
Call Number: JA 86 .B24 2020 (Ready Reference)
Shows you each stage of the process for completing a research paper successfully. Copy at service desk for short loan.

Introduction to Political Science Research Methods (2023)
Open Education Resource Textbook for students that surveys the research methods employed in political science.
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This book is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Josue Franco, Charlotte Lee, Kau Vue, Dino Bozonelos, Masahiro Omae, & Steven Cauchon (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)).
Writing up Quantitative Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2016)
A primer to help emerging researchers learn how to write high-quality, quantitative research reports in the social sciences.
On the Applicability of the Most Similar Systems Design and the Most Different Systems Design in Comparative Research (2008)
Article from International Journal of Social Research Methodology

Research Guides

Survey scholarly literature on research topics in interational relations and political science. In Oxford Bibliographies there are also surveys on Latin American Studies, Islamic Studies, Military History, and more.

Annual Review of Political Science
Partial access to articles on scholarly research in political science
Oxford Bibliographies: International Relations
Access annotated guides that identify literature on international relations and the connections between government systems
Oxford Bibliographies: Political Science
Access hundreds of annotated guides that identify recent scholarship on a myriad of political science research topics

Research Topics in Political Science

Selected books for greater awareness of topics in political science:

Cases in International Relations
Find case examples on military, economic and human security
Issues in Comparative Politics
A look at notable issues around the world from CQ Researcher
Political Science: A Global Perspective
For deeper awareness of key topics and issues in political science

Political and Cultural Maps

CIA Maps from the World Factbook
Find world, regional, country, ocean, and time zone maps
Freedom House: Explore the Map
Track the global freedom status & trend in ratings of countries
Interactive and Historical Election Maps
View interactive maps for future US presidential, congressional, and state elections, plus historical maps of past elections
Maps of the World
Political and administrative maps of continents, countries and regions, and other online map resources from the Nations Online Project
National Geographic - MapMaker
Access interactive maps and geographical resources
United Nations - Maps and Geoservices
Find general maps of countries and regions and thematic maps of UN security operations, etc.

Political Science

Research Librarian

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