Skip to Main Content

GOV 1303: American Public Policy: Resources for Research

Resources for Research

WPI Library Search (the main search box on the library homepage) searches across most of the library's resources at once and can be used to find books, articles, and more. Enter your keywords to get started. Then use the tips below to refine your search results. 

Search Tips for WPI Library Search: 

Use these search terms to narrow or broaden your search:

         

     Term

       Example

                                            Result

      AND

  media AND bias

         Narrows the search to entries containing both terms.

       OR

   cats OR kittens

         Broadens the search to entries containing either term.

      NOT

   bat NOT baseball

                Excludes entries containing the second term.

       “ ”

      “social work”

          Retrieves results containing the exact phrase in quotes.

        ?

     globali?ation

         Wildcard: Retrieves both globalization and globalisation.

         *

        feminis*

         Truncation: Retrieves feminism, feminist, feminists, etc. 

 

 

"How-To": Library Searching in 60 Seconds Tutorial Features:

Run Time: 1:03

Key Student Learning Competencies:

  • Gordon Library Homepage (0:15)
  • Search Overview (0:30)
  • Filters (0:45)

Understanding Peer-Reviewed Journals and Articles

What are "peer-reviewed" journals? A peer-reviewed journal is a respected academic publication. Before articles are published within these types of journals, they are sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers"), often anonymously, to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship, review research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication. Peer-reviewed journals are highly respected, and researchers wish to have their works published in them. Many often have low acceptance rates.

Peer Review Overview Tutorial Features:

Run Time: 2:52

Key Student Learning Competencies:

  • What is Peer-Review? (0:10)
  • The Impact of Peer-Review Processes (0:50)
  • The Peer-Review Process (1:39)
  • Locating Peer-Reviewed Articles via the Gordon Library (2:25)

Public Policy Journals Accessible via Gordon Library