Government Issues
General information
In this guide you will find information about locating information about topics related to government and government issues. The guide includes information about the research process and researching databases. It also includes information about researching on the web and NoodleTools.
This page includes search boxes for the databases used most often. For more information about a specific database or to view all the online resources and tutorials to help you get the most out of the online databases, please visit the Library Resources page or click the Databases icon.
Remember, to access the databases at home you will need the usernames and passwords found on mySJR under links. Click on the link to the page entitled Educational Resources Log in and Password Information.
Databases:
A library database is an online collection of organized and searchable resources, such as journals, newspapers, and videos. You can search databases to find reliable, academic information for assignments. This information cannot be found through the Internet (i.e. Google) because a subscription is needed to access it.
Basic tips:
Keep short strings short. Go to the Advanced Search page to separate keywords into multiple boxes.
Use Keywords to broaden your search; use Subject to narrow your search
If you are not find what you want, try changing the keywords.
Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and truncation (*) to expand and narrow results.
Use the filters/limiters provided by the database to refine your results.
For more information about using databases, please view Databases 101 page.
Gale databases
Gales's PowerSearch allows you to search all the inContext databases at one time.
Start by using the search string: youth criminal justice act (capitalization does not matter)
EBSCO databases
EBSCO is good choice when looking for current information from magazines, journals, and newspapers. Click the link to search EBSCo's periodical databases.
University of Manitoba libraries
We can bring in materials from the University of Manitoba through interlibrary loans. If you find something useful, please email the citation to the librarian who will complete an interlibrary loan request on your behalf.
Click to search University of Manitoba libraries
On the open web:
Search government sources
It can be very helpful to use backgrounders and other government publications . Governments have parliamentary libraries that are tasked with researching current issues and trends for parliamentarians.
In browser type:
site:.gc.ca AND search term will limit to government of Canada sites
site:parliament.uk AND search term will limit to United Kingdom government sources
site:.govinfo.gov AND search term will limit to United States government sources
Statistics can be useful evidence depending on your topic.
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
To find news articles
Locating articles to use for your project means you will need to pay attention to the news.
Google News - is a news aggregator. You can quickly review headlines in the news across Canada and the world. You can also set up alerts to track stories or topics of your choice.
Maclean's Archive - Maclean's is Canada's main news magazine.
Databases - the databases listed below are periodical databases. In other words, they include the text from magazines, newspapers, and journals. They are a quick way of researching a lot of sources quickly
Curio - provides streaming video. Their channels, News in Review covers prominent Canadian new stories.
A word about bias
Confirmation Bias: When you only pay attention to resources that support your opinion. Often people don't even realize they are filtering out other opinions and facts. To avoid confirmation bias, get your information from a variety of sources. Look at both "pro" and "con" arguments.
It is up to you to assess the validity of a source.
Remember to cite your sources.