LibGuides: POL 399: Interest Groups in American Politics: Start

Welcome!

This guide will help you conduct research for this course, especially for your senior thesis. Use the resources on the tabs above, as well as the information listed below, to explore various places to search.

Don't hesitate to ask if you've got questions!
- If you would like a one-on-one consultation, make an appointment with me or any librarian, in person or online.
- If you have an immediate question, try our 24/7 chat service!
- And if you prefer an asynchronous approach, use our Research Next Steps form or send me an email directly.

There are a couple of other guides that might be useful for you at various points during your research:

Library FAQs - for information on services, spaces, collections, etc.
Doing research - brush up and expand your research skills!
Finding Books - use it to navigate the shelves to find materials
Cite your sources - examples and links to external resources for a number of citation styles

You will also find the library guide for POL 200: Analyzing Politics to be helpful, as well as the guide for POL 220: US Public Policy and overall guide for doing research in Political Science.

Finding Interest Groups & General Overviews

One great way to find interest groups is to read newspaper articles about your topic. (Tip: use Proquest US Newsstream database - linked on the Articles page of this guide!) More than likely, someone representing a particular interest group will be quoted. Pay attention to those organizations and then find them online. You can also try a Google search to see if there are interest groups on your topic. Try CQ Researcher to see if there is an information packet about your topic. And use the "browse topics" menu in Congressional to find similar information packets.

Also try the resources below:

OpenSecrets
As per their website, OpenSecrets is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. The link lets you search or browse for interest groups that have given money to political organizations or politicians. While this may or may not be of interest, searching OpenSecrets helps you identify possible interest groups.
Lobbying Disclosures, US House of Representatives
Another somewhat roundabout way to identify groups is to browse or search the database from the US House of Representatives. Try a keyword search related to your topic. Again, your goal is to identify if groups exist about your topic.
Vote Smart
Vote Smart provides an easy-to-use menu of interest groups organized by topic.
Political Advocacy Groups
Professor Paul Frank at Sacramento City College maintains a link of interest groups organized by subject (note that the site does not say when it was last updated).

CQ Researcher Online This link opens in a new window
Provides reporting and analysis on issues in the news, with coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy. Each report includes an introductory overview, a background and chronology, an assessment of the current situation, a pro/con debate by representatives of opposing positions, and bibliographies of key sources.
Congressional This link opens in a new window
Index to congressional publications from 1970 to the present, legislative histories for public laws, testimony at congressional hearings, and biographical and committee information. Also allows searching of the Congressional Record and Federal Register.

Librarian

Julie Gilbert

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If you have any questions about research, an assignment, or the library in general, please contact me. I look forward to working with you!

Subjects: African/African Diaspora Studies, Communication Studies, Physics, Political Science, Scandinavian Studies

Library Class Slides

These are the slides from our first library session, in case you need a refresher.