Welcome to the Political Science Scope and Methods (POL2070) Research Guide! This guide features resources available online and through Ryan Library, including ebooks, print books, journals, databases, websites, and primary sources. Some electronic content requires a PLNU username and password. If you have any questions, contact librarian Robin Lang at rlang@pointloma.edu.
How to be a critical consumer of research and information sources:
Consider Quality...
In academic research, use only high quality and authoritative sources. The authority of a source depends on the research question.
Authorship
Does the site/document have an author? What are the author's credentials? Why should you trust this author as an expert?
Publisher/Sponsor
Who sponsors or publishes the source? What evidence demonstrates that the sponsor/publisher is credible? What purpose/perspective does the sponsor seem to promote?
Currency
How recently was the information posted or modified? Could it be outdated or obsolete?
Credibility
How do you know that the information itself is trustworthy? Are there links to other sites/sources to support factual claims?
These principles of web source evaluation are drawn from The St. Martin's Handbook, 9th edition (p. 198-199).
Once you type in a search term, you can limit your results page to Print Books or eBooks by checking the box(es) on the left side of the page.
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Find books, media, select articles and more:
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If you participated in the research session on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, in Ryan Library, please take a minute to complete this teaching survey:
Thank you!
