Research Guides: POLI_SCI_395: Political Research Seminar (Alter): Get Started

Political Science Librarian

Jeannette Moss

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University Library
2 North (Core) Rm. 2303
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208

847-491-2169

Subjects: International Studies, Linguistics, Political Science, Slavic

Gather background / Narrow your topic / Hone your research question

Somewhere in between your initial idea and settling on a research question, you'll need to do background research on how scholars in a particular subject area have discussed your topic. You may find background research in your textbook or class readings, academic books in the library's collection, or reference sources.

The databases below compile reference sources from a variety of disciplines, and they can be a great way to consider how your topic has been studied from different angles.

Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
Particularly useful for anyone beginning research.. Offers annotated bibliographies of important books and articles on specific topics in a range of subject areas. Includes Oxford Bibs of Political Science and International Relations.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Scholarly reviews of research in 15 subject fields including Political Science.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Searchable database of several hundred subject encyclopedias and other reference works across all subject areas, but with particular strengths in the social sciences and humanities. It includes a number of major reference works, and is Northwesterns largest single collection of reference materials. A good source for authoritative background information.
Annual Review of Political Science This link opens in a new window
Annual edited volume that covers significant developments in the field of political science including political theory and philosophy, international relations, political economy, political behavior, American and comparative politics, public administration and policy, and methodology. Covers 1998-present.

Use NU Search to browse for books, reference entries, and periodicals to build background information.

After you have an initial project idea, you can think deeper about the idea by developing a "Topic + Question + Significance" sentence. This formula came from Kate Turabian's Student's Guide to Writing College Papers. Turabian notes that you can use it plan and test your question, but do not incorporate this sentence directly into your paper (p. 13):

TOPIC: I am working on the topic of __________,
QUESTION: because I want to find out __________,
SIGNIFICANCE: so that I can help others understand __________.

Turabian, Kate L. Student's Guide to Writing College Papers. 4th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2010.

Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Having trouble?

Is there something about this topic that is not already addressed in scholarship?
Given the type and scope of the information that you need, is your question too broad, too narrow, or okay?
Which specific aspect or sub-topic of the topic can you focus on? Specific demographic groups, places, times
What type of information do you need to answer the research question? Qualitative? Quantitative? Original research?
Is there a relationship you can explore:
- cause/effect or "What are the consequences of X on Y?"
- compare/contrast
- current/historical
- group/individual
- opinion/reason
- problem/solution

How do you move from a research question to searching in a database? You first have to pick out keywords from your research question.