This document provides an outline for a library research session on researching for a political science course. It discusses academic research, searching strategies, and using research databases and the library catalog. It covers literature reviews, peer review, types of scholarly sources, how to read citations, and how to develop an effective search strategy including forming a research question, key concepts, keywords, and search syntax.

1. LIBRARY RESEARCH FOR POLS 3103
Clarke Iakovakis | Scholarly Services Librarian | Edmon Low Library
Interior of the State Capital courtesy Randy Gregory II on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

2. https://info.library.okstate.edu/pols3103

3. OUTLINE FOR TODAY
 Academic Research
 Searching Strategically
 Searching in the Research Databases &
Library Catalog

4. SECTION 1:
ACADEMIC
RESEARCH
Scholar. Image licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 on Flickr by Anjan Chatterjee.

5.  A literature review is part of the published work
referencing related research, theory, and background
information
 A review of the literature (literature search) may be
conducted to…
 understand a topic
 help you form a research question
 provide confirmation of an already existing hypothesis
 analyze and interpret your own data
 gain exposure to past, current, and ongoing research about
a subject you are exploring for research of your own
REVIEWING LITERATURE

6. PEER REVIEW
 A process for establishing authority of scholarly
research
 Experts in the field/discipline review the original
ideas to certify the accuracy, validity, and value of
the results
Chubin, D. E., & Hackett, E. J. (2005). Peer Review. In C. Mitcham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and
Ethics (Vol. 3, pp. 1390-1394). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.uhcl.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3434900491&v=2.1&u=txshr
acd2589&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=67e06d81c0d758521a67ba637722e45c
“AUTHORITATIVE” INFORMATION:

7. WHAT ARE SOME SOURCES OF
SCHOLARLY INFORMATION?
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Books (and book reviews)
Reference works (encyclopedias, textbooks)
Gray literature
 Reports (government, industry,
non-governmental organizations)
 Theses & dissertations
 Conference proceedings
Archives
“Computer laptop” by Steve Hillebrand, licensed under public domain

8. PERIODICALS (JOURNALS, MAGAZINES)
Peer-reviewed
Refereed
Scholarly
Academic
Trade
Professional
Practitioner
Industry
General
Popular

9. Anatomy of a scholarly article
Author information
Publication information
Abstract
Introduction
Background
Literature Review
Related Work
Methodology
Results
Tables/Charts/Plots
Discussion
Conclusions
References
Works Cited

10. DISSECT THIS CITATION
Rooduijn, Matthijs. "The Rise of the Populist Radical
Right in Western Europe." European View, 14.1 (2015):
3-11. doi:10.1007/s12290-015-0347-5.
What is the…
 Journal name
 Volume number
 Issue number
 Authors
 Article title
 Page number range
 Year of publication
 DOI

11. HOW DO I FIND AN ARTICLE
WHEN I HAVE A CITATION?
A. Google
B. OSU Libraries Search
C. A subscription database, such as JSTOR
or Sage

12. Rooduijn, Matthijs. "The Rise of the Populist Radical
Right in Western Europe." European View, 14.1 (2015):
3-11. doi:10.1007/s12290-015-0347-5.

13. EXERCISE 1: SEE PAPER HANDOUT
Title: The success of radical right-wing parties in Western
European regions – new challenging findings
Doi: 10.1080/14782804.2016.1198691
Lead Author: Stockemer
Journal name? Year of Publication?
Using OSU Libraries Search, search for the subject:
far right western Europe rise
Use the refinement tools on the left to limit the results to Peer-reviewed
Journals published from 2000-2018.

14. • Determine your research question1
• Identify the key concepts2
• List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words3
• Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean operators4
• Make use of database’s limiters & suggested subject terms5
• Organize and cite your sources6
SEARCH PROCESS

15. One
• What are some major trends in 21st century Western
European politics?
Two
• How have voters in Western Europe responded to far right,
communist, anarchist, green, liberal, and conservative
parties in 21st century Western Europe?
Three
• What explains the recent rise of far-right political parties in
Western Europe?
1. EXPLORE A RESEARCH AREA TO FOCUS
ON A RESEARCH QUESTION

16. 2. IDENTIFY THE KEY CONCEPTS
Far-right
Western Europe
Rise
What explains the recent rise of far-right
political parties in Western Europe?

17. Far-right
Right-Wing
Extremist,
Radical Right
British National
Party
Populist
Fascist, Neo-
Nazi
3. List alternate keywords,
synonyms, and related words
What explains the recent rise of far-right political parties in
Western Europe?

18. Rise
Resurgence Vote
MajorityMotivation
3. List alternate keywords,
synonyms, and related words
What explains the recent rise of far-right political parties in
Western Europe?

19. Concept 1:
FAR RIGHT
Concept 2:
RISE
Concept 3:
WESTERN
EUROPE
Alternate
term:
Right-Wing
Extremist
Resurgence UK, Germany,
France
Alternate
term:
Populist Vote
Alternate
term:
Fascist, Neo-Nazi Majority

20. QUOTATION MARKS: EXACT PHRASE