Below is a sample of political science-related encyclopedias and other background information sources available through WMU Libraries.. Scholarly alternatives to Wikipedia, they are excellent places to start your research project.
To find other WMU Libraries background info sources, try searching in Library Search for terms like "encyclopedia", "dictionary", handbook", or "guide" in the title along with your general topic of interested as a keyword.
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The bibliographic guides below recommend research and reference materials, and may also suggest approaches to political science research . Use these guides to find seminal books and scholarly articles on your topic.
Information Sources of Political Science
Z 7161 .I543 2005
This guide provides comprehensive, authoritative coverage of political science reference sources for researchers, librarians, and students.
International Bibliography of Political Science
Z 7163 .I64
Beginning in 1952, this annual volume (part of UNESCO's International Bibliography of the Social Sciences) offers citations to the year's scholarship in the field of political science.
New Handbook of Political Science
JA 66 .N49 1996
Includes a collection of articles each written by an expert in the field on the discipline of political science and on various subfields such as political theory; articles include a substantial list of references.
Oxford Handbook of Political Science
JA 66 .O97 2009
Provides a comprehensive overview of all the main branches of contemporary political science: political theory; political institutions; political behavior; comparative politics; international relations; political economy; law and politics; public policy; contextual political analysis; and political methodology.
Political Science: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources
Z 7161 .Y75 1990
This volume provides descriptions of over 800 major resources in the field of political science and its subdisciplines, including such works as dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, statistical sources, organizations, biographical sources and yearbooks.
Political Science Journal Information
Z 7163 .M37x 1990
Published by the American Political Science Association, this guide enables scholars and students to determine which journals contain articles on research related to their fields of inquiry.
Below are searchable databases of general reference materials.