Related Guides
- International Government Information GuideIn-depth guide to various databases and free resources of international government information.
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Welcome and Getting Assistance
Welcome to this library guide for POL4461W: European Goverment and Politics! Use the links on the left to navigate through the guide which includes links to relevant reference sources, databases, tips on searching, and much more.
Please feel free to reach out to either Brian Vetruba or Jenny McBurney for help. We can provide assistance via email and via one-on-one appointments. No question is too small!
- Brian Vetruba, European Studies and Digital Scholarship Librarian, email: bvetruba@umn.edu; book an appointment
- Jenny McBurney, Social Sciences Librarian (Economics, Political Science, Institute for Advanced Study), email: jmcburne@umn.edu; book an appointment
We're here to help!
Background Information and Reference
- Oxford Reference OnlineContains 100 language and subject dictionaries and other reference works, and searches across these resources. Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
- Europa World PlusEuropa World is a source of information for more than 250 countries and territories. Find facts, statistics, history, political, economic and other information including geography, media outlets, education, government agencies, trade and industry, tourism and other organizations. A major bibliography is included for each country and survey articles on various issues are listed for each major region.
- Gale EbooksSearch encyclopedias and reference books from various publishers in many subjects, including art, biography, business, cultural studies, education, the environment, history, religion, science, and social science.
Historical Dictionary of the European Union by Call Number: TC Wilson Library General Collection JN15 .R75 2016ISBN: 9781442255142Publication Date: 2016
Historical Dictionaries of EuropeBook series of historical dictionaries covering nation-states of Europe. All contain well-written brief histories of the country and chronologies that, though they cover historical time periods, heavily feature more recent events. Brief A-Z entries cover the main people, politics, social issues, foreign affairs, institutions, and policies that make the country unique. Extensive bibliographies are divided into several general subject areas.
- How the European Union works: your guide to the EU institutions (2014)
2014 ed., from EU Publications
Databases for Scholarly Articles
Click "view online," "PDF," or the 
button to connect to the full text if we have it. The will also indicate whether a print copy is held in the Libraries. If not available, request the item via Interlibrary Loan.
- Academic Search PremierA great place to start your research on any topic, search multidisciplinary, scholarly research articles. This database provides access to scholarly and peer reviewed journals, popular magazines and other resources. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)Comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. Publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs.
- JSTORFind full text articles in academic journals or books on the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. JSTOR provides articles from the journal's first issue. In some cases the most recent 2-5 years may not be available. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineOxford Handbooks contain peer-reviewed scholarly review articles in Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion. Included are classic works of scholarship along with newly-published works. Each handbook offers a critical survey of the current state of scholarship in a particular field of study. Individual articles by leading scholars review key issues and major debates, and discuss how those debates might evolve.
- Project MuseSearch for full-text journals in literary theory, classics, history and cultural studies, philosophy, film, theater and performing arts, political science, and mathematics.
- Worldwide Political Science AbstractsThe database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration & public policy from1975 to the present.
- Libraries SearchSearch the University of Minnesota Libraries to find books, scholarly journal articles, news, magazines, media, and other items in the University's collection. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
Useful Books on Europe and the EU
The European Union: a Very Short Introduction by Call Number: TC Wilson Library General Collection JN30 .P57 2018ISBN: 9780198808855Publication Date: 2018-03-30
European memory in populism: representations of self and other by Call Number: eBookISBN: 0429846835Publication Date: 2020European Memory in Populism explores the links between memory and populism in contemporary Europe. Focusing on circulating ideas of memory, especially European memory, in contemporary populist discourses, the book also analyses populist ideas in sites and practices of remembrance that usually tend to go unnoticed.
Imagining Europe by Call Number: TC Wilson Library General Collection HN373 .B66 2013ISBN: 9781107015616Publication Date: 2013In Imagining Europe, Chiara Bottici and Benoît Challand explore the formation of modern European identity. What is Europe? What are its boundaries? Is there a specific European identity or is the EU just the name for a group of institutions? This book answers these questions, showing that in Europe's formation, myth and memory, although distinct, are often merged in a common attempt to construct an identity for its present and its future.
Minorities of Europeanization : the new others of European social identity by Call Number: TC Wilson Library General Collection D1056 .O54 2015ISBN: 9780739181492Publication Date: 2015What are the societal effects of Europeanization? How successful is the EU's project to create an overarching European identity representative of all its citizens, transcending national boundaries, and including those previously excluded as national minorities?
Tips for Using Libraries Search and Catalog
Libraries Search will search many article databases, the UMN Library Catalog and other resources. But it doesn't search everything. You may want to search subject specific article databases to find more articles and for more search options. .
The UMN Library Catalog searches books, journals, DVDs, other formats but NOT articles.
To limit by language, format, or subject, use the limits on the right after performing a search in Libraries Search.
Below are a few useful search strategies:
- "Europe*" and "group identity" - European identity
- "Europe" and "memory"
- [Name of country] "politics and government" as a subject browse (e.g.Germany Politics and Government) scroll down to the appropriate timeframe
- European Union [name of country] as a subject browse (e.g. European Union Great Britain) -- relations between EU and that country
One of the most effective ways to search for items on a country, city, or region is to do a subject browse search. Input the geographic place name and browse through the list of subtopics. See the example below.
Finding Specific Journals and Articles
You can find online journals by searching by journal title in the E-Journal Search.
To find a journal either in print or online, search by the journal title in Libraries Search or the Library Catalog ("Catalog Only").
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To search for a specific article, use Libraries Search, a subject-specific database, or citation linker. and search by words in the article title and the author's name. See "How to Find Articles" for more tips.
Citing your sources (e.g. MLA, APA, etc.)
- Citation Managers (e.g. Zotero, EndNote Online, etc.)Citation managers are software packages used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to: import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources; save links to pdfs and other documents; format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA and many other styles; and include your own notes.
Many article databases (e.g. Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar) will create a citation for you. After you found the item, look for "cite" or "quotes." Here are examples:
In Google Scholar:
In Academic Search Premier:
- Chicago Manual of Style OnlineThis resource provides online access to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, which covers a variety of topics from manuscript preparation and publication to grammar, usage, and citation formating. The citation quick guide covers both the author-date and the notes and bibliography systems.
- Citation and research help (from Purdue OWL)Examples and instructions for how to cite many types of materials in MLA, APA, Chicago, and AMA styles.
Learn more about on annotated bibliographies
Annotated Bibliography from UW-Madison
An annotated bibliography is an organized list of sources, each of which is followed by a brief note or “annotation.”
- How to write an annotated bibliographyLearn more about annotated bibliographies.
- Writing Evaluative Annotated BibliographiesThis chapter includes useful questions to guide you in writing annotations for an annotated bibliography.