Exploring and finding policies (laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.)
- Minnesota StatutesMinnesota Statutes presents current law arranged by subject.
- Minneapolis OrdinancesCity Charter defines powers given to City government and how Minneapolis government is structured. The Code of Ordinances is a compilation of laws adopted by City Council. Both are hosted for the City by Municode.
Finding sources for informed opinion
- CQ ResearcherCQ Researcher provides in-depth coverage of important issues of the day. Reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted, and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects in demand.
Finding sources for public opinion
- Polling the Nations This link opens in a new windowPolling the Nations is an online database of public opinion polls containing the full text of 700,000+ questions and responses, from 18,000+ surveys and 1,700+ polling organizations, conducted from 1986 through the present in the United States and more than 100 other countries around the world. Limited to 4 simultaneous users.
- iPoll (Roper Center for Public Opinion Research) This link opens in a new windowiPOLL is a collection of polling sources from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. It includes surveys from 150 polling organizations that include all major news outlets, Gallup polls, and other research institutions. Use these polls to compare public opinion from 1935-present on a range of issues.
- Ethnic NewsWatchEthnic NewsWatch is a current resource of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press from 1990, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives.
Finding local policy makers and examples
Below are samples of units which can be used to find the agency or organization that administers policy. Below are also examples of bodies that administer policy to give you a sense of what to look for.
- Minneapolis Park & Recreation BoardThe Minneapolis Park Board serves as an independently elected, semi-autonomous body responsible for governing, maintaining, and developing the Minneapolis Park System.
- Minnesota guidebook to State agency services (1977-2007)The Minnesota Guidebook provides a comprehensive look at Minnesota State Government. It includes key agency contacts, services provided by state agencies and more.
- Minnesota Mandated ReportsSome reports are mandated by the Minnesota State Legislature when laws are written. The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library catalogs these reports and provides a list of recently acquired reports.
- Minnesota Legislative Reference LibraryThe Minnesota Legislative Reference Library (LRL) serves the Legislature and the citizens of Minnesota by assuring access to essential information resources that support the legislative process and promote the understanding of state government. You can find information on specific bills proposed and information on each legislator.
- Minnesota State LegislatureAllows you to track current legislation, find bills from 1995 to date, and search the current "Minnesota Statutes", "Session Laws of Minnesota" and the current "Minnesota Rules".
- State of Minnesota WebsiteMinnesota.gov is the entry point to Minnesota State government information and services including the Governor, state, local, region and tribal governments and links to government services.
- Metropolitan CouncilIncludes various forecasts, population, employment, housing, development and profile data.
Finding sources for academic arguement
- 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.
- 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.
- Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs)Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. 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.
Subject specific article databases - in-depth collections based on discipline.
- Business Source PremierFind business articles from journals and magazines in marketing, management, information technology, operations, human resources, accounting, finance and economics dating back to 1965.
- PAIS Index (Political Science and Public Policy)PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) searches journals and other sources on issues of political science and public policy. This includes government, politics, international relations, human rights and more.
- Communication and Mass Media CompleteSearch for journal articles on topics such as communication, mass media, film, television, marketing, business communication, health communication, and more.
- ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Critical evaluation tools
Get help from the U Libraries - Online!
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Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 2:53 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/WRIT/3101W