Understanding Political Research 

030:100

Course instructor: Brian DiSarro

Librarian Presenter: Brett Cloyd
February 5, 2008

Libraries' Resources

Libraries Home Page Use this page to navigate to all research sources in the UI Libraries' collection.  The Libraries has created several "How-to" guides that support research activities.

InfoHawk Use the Libraries' catalog to search for books, journal titles, videos, and other materials.

Resources by Subject--Political Science This collection of resources has been compile for their overall value to political science research.

Smart Search Tagged sources for this class.

Data Sources

United States Census Bureau relevent sections of the site include

• People and Households section has a lot of data by subject. Voting and elections.
• Statistical Abstract of the United States. Search or view by category. Also
• State and County Quick Facts
• American FactFinder, and Economic Census.
• Decennial Population Census

Iowa Data Center . An excellent collection of data about Iowa and Iowans. Staff collate data from a variety of sources, including the US Census Bureau, to make it useful for citizens, researchers, policy makers, communities and businesses. Other states also have data centers.

Gallup Brain includes extensive public opinion polling data

SimplyMap
SimplyMap is a web-based mapping application that lets users quickly create professional-quality thematic maps and reports using powerful demographic, business, and marketing data. SimplyMap turns complex data into valuable information that is easily accessed through an innovative and user-friendly interface. Quick Reference Guide. 

UN Comtrade - commodity statistics that show relationships between countries based on commerce and trade. Prepared by the United Nations.

World Development Indicators - development data series including education, demographics, fertility, modern conveniences, etc. Produced by the World Bank

Also of note:

American National Election Studies at the University of Michigan collects a variety of data sets.

ICPSR data. The University's ICPSR contract is managed through the Department of Sociology. Data can be accessed through a variety of formats. Downloads require creating a user account and agreeing to terms of usage. Ben Earnhart from Sociology is probably your best place to start when you have questions about this source of data.

CQ Electronic Library
CQ Electronic Library (CQEL) is an extensive reference resource comprised of fourteen separate modules, each with its own focus, for researching American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs. The following titles in CQEL may be of interest because they include data sources

• CQ Voting and Elections Collection has a large collection of analysis and several data sources for export that may be of interest
• Vital Statistics on American Politics includes a variety of statistical tables which may be useful for researchers.