Online Resources for Researching Public Issues

Conducting research strategically, effectively, and consistently is an important skill for any professional writer to develop. Consistently conducting research on your public issue throughout the semester will help you to deepen your knowledge of the issue, understand the nature of the problems you're addressing, develop strategies for alleviating these problems, and educating other readers who are interested in the issue.

Below, then, you'll find several different online resources you can use to locate print and online sources on your topic. Please use the "Comment" function to add links to and descriptions of other research resources that you think your classmates should know about.

Google Reader. This program is a Web-based aggregator--that is, it serves as an information FILTER that gathers updated and new information posted to websites and blogs. You can search via Keywords (click on "Add a Subscription" button and type in your keyword) and then "Subscribe" to any website or blog in order to have constant updates to that site delivered right to your Google Reader account. NOTE: Use your Blogger username and password to log into Google Reader.

WVU Library: Electronic Databases. While there are certainly databases that focus solely on some of the specific topics you've chosen this semester, there are several "Popular Databases" that could be very useful to your research this semester (see "Popular Databases" list in the upper-right-hand corner of this page):

• CQ Researcher: "In-depth reports and analysis on political and social issues, each covering a single theme and providing solid background information, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each 13,000-word CQ Researcher report is a unique work, investigated and written by a seasoned journalist."

• LexisNexis Academic: Provides full-text documents from over 5,900 newspapers (including the New York Times), magazines, business, governmental, legal, medical, and reference publications.

• LexisNexis Statistical Insights: Access to statistical information produced by US Federal agencies, states, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations.

• NOTE: Also consider using the "Databases by Resource Type" list in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, particularly if you want to locate items such as statistics, newspaper articles, images.

Google Blogs. Search by "Keyword" for other blogs focused on your public issue. Remember, too, that you can then "subscribe" to the blogs you find via Google Reader.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is known as "the investigative arm of Congress" and "the congressional watchdog." GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. Use the "search" box in the upper-right-hand corner of the GAO homepage to search for documents related to your topic.



USA.gov. The U.S. Government's official web portal, which citizens can use either to learn how to access services or to explore topics of public interest. To do the latter, try any one of these three strategies: (1) Types keywords into the "search" box at the top of the homepage. (2) Follow the "Explore Topics" link on the main toolbar. (3) Clink on the "Find Government Agencies" link on the main toolbar.


U.S.-based "Think Tanks." "Think tanks" or policy institutes are organizations (often of the non-profit variety) that conduct research on and advocate for particular "sides" on public issues. Think tanks serve an important purpose in U.S. civic life because they are often more free to propose and publicly debate controversial ideas than elected government officials. Think tanks in the United States generally receive funding from private donors, and members of private organizations--you'll want to know something about the source of funding for any particular think tank from which you draw sources, as it likely shapes the perspective (e.g., conservative, liberal) that the organization often takes.


Federally funded research and development centers. From Wikipedia: "The government funds, wholly or in part, activities at approximately 30 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). FFRDCs, are unique independent nonprofit entities sponsored and funded by the U.S. government to meet specific long-term technical needs that cannot be met by any other single organization. FFRDCs typically assist government agencies with scientific research and analysis, systems development, and systems acquisition. They bring together the expertise and outlook of government, industry, and academia to solve complex technical problems. These FFRDCs include the RAND Corporation, the MITRE Corporation, the Institute for Defense Analyses, the Aerospace Corporation, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and other organizations supporting various departments within the U.S. Government." 


ThinkBank. ThinkBank is an online database of articles published by US-based think tanks.


Federal Advisory Committees. Federal Advisory Committees are quasi-governmental agencies that advise the U.S. President and the wider Executive branch of the federal government. These committees or commissions almost always focus on a specific issue, like special interest groups, but they come under more governmental oversight and are requirement to make their formal records open to the public. This site always you to search by "Committee Interest Type" (search via a pull-down menu") or by keyword search (enter keywords into the "Search in Documents" box).