News Magazines
These news magazines are all great sources for long form discussions of current events, but keep an eye on whether an article is an opinion piece. While these magazines all adhere to journalistic standards, their opinion pieces and editorial approach varies along the political spectrum. When in doubt, read up on the publication.
Newspapers
All members of the Colby community have a subscription to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Morning Sentinel (our local paper) through the library. For instructions on setting up your subscription, check here.
Some other frequently used newspapers include:
- Global Newsstream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowTo access more US news sources, as well as international sources, try Global Newsstream. Just remember to evaluate the publication before you choose to use it!
Research Resources
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Political Science This link opens in a new windowScholar-curated lists of the most important literature on a given political science topic, from foundation books to useful websites. Other Oxford Bibliographies, such as Public Health, might be useful as well depending on topic.
- Policy File Index This link opens in a new windowPublic policy papers from think tanks, NGOs, and other similar entities. Be sure to evaluate the agenda of any given source, since think tanks generally argue for defined pollicies/positions/worldviews.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new windowScholarly literature in political science and other closely related fields.
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw This link opens in a new windowLegal research resource that includes text of laws in addition to useful secondary sources such law journals and tertiary sources like legal encyclopedias.
- Congressional Research ServiceResearch reports prepared for Congress.
Interdisciplinary Resources
Most important current events require an interdisciplinary lens to fully contextualize them. Depending on what topic you're investigating, you may need to bring in research from biology, sociology, education, etc. You are always welcome to reach out to a librarian if you're exploring a new-to-you field and want some ideas of where to look.
- A-Z Database ListThis is a list of all of the libraries' subscription databases. Select a subject from the dropdown to see what databases librarians recommend searching to find articles for that discipline.
