POLS Y320 Judicial Politics  

This library guide points you in the direction of some basic library resources for completing library assignments and writing research papers in this course. Many of these resources are available from the library's homepage at http://www.library.ipfw.edu/, so you may want to bookmark both the homepage and this guide.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Helmke Library self-guided tour
• Doing Library Research
• Foraging for Information Worksheet (PDF)

To develop and refine your search, it often helps to consult a specialized dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook, textbook, guide, or bibliography. These tools are designed to offer an overview of your topic or research problem written by an expert. They may provide an historical perspective, a chronology of events, definitions of terms or concepts, or bibliographic references leading to the literature in a particular field of study. Many useful reference works are now available online. These handy e-reference collections are accessible via Find Resources By... Subject, Title, or Type on the library's homepage.

Biographical Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court: The Lives and Legal Philosophies of the Justices (Reference KF8744 .B56 2006) also provides a bibliography and list of noteworthy opinions.

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 2 vols. (Reference KF8742 .W567 2004) provides extensive articles on all aspects of the Supreme Court. Includes bibliographical references.

Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, 4 vols. (Reference KF4548 .E53 2000) Considered to be the most comprehensive and scholarly encyclopedia on the American Constitution. Articles are extensive and include a brief bibliography.

Facts About the Supreme Court of the United States (Reference KF8742 .P32 1996) Chapters highlight each Court from 1790 to the present. The final chapter covers the Rehnquist Court, including important events, biography of the Chief Justice and each associate justice, and analysis of the details and significance of the important cases decided by that Court.

Great American Court Cases, 4 vols. (Reference KF385.A4 G68 1999) Cases are arranged according to broad legal principles. Each case includes the background, main arguments presented by each side, the legal, political, and social impact of the decision, related cases, and a bibliography.

Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Major Opinions, 5 vols. (Reference KF8744 .F75 1995) Extensive biographical essays including basic facts, background in the law, the paths that led each to the Supreme Court, and a discussion of each Justice's major decisions.

Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court (Reference KF8742.A35 O93 1992) provides short entries on all aspects of the Supreme Court.

Oxford Companion to the United States Supreme Court Decisions (Reference KF4548 .O97 1999) provides a summary of cases with brief bibliography.

Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions, and Developments, 3rd edition (Reference KF8742 .S914 2003) A statistical collection of data about the Court’s history, background of the justices, voting behavior and opinions, political environment, public opinion, and the impact of the Court.

Supreme Court Justices: A Biographical Dictionary (Reference KF8744 .S859 1994)

Supreme Court Justices: Illustrated Biographies, 1789-1993 (Reference KF8744 .S86 1993)

Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1980: An Index to Opinions Arranged by Justices, 2 vols. (Reference KF101.6 .B57 1983) Chronologically by Supreme Court Judge, this index lists the opinions, separate opinions, concurring opinions, dissenting opinions, and opinions as lower court judge through 1980. Supreme Court citations are to U.S. Reports.

United States Supreme Court Provides links to authoritative sources about the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justices, and Supreme Court Decisions, including biographies of the Justices and their opinions, oral arguments, Senate nomination hearings, and full-text of decisions.

United States Supreme Court Decisions, 1778-1996: An Index to Excerpts, Reprints, and Discussions, 1980-1995 (Reference KF101.6 .J36 2001) For each Supreme Court case provides citation and a list of articles written about the case.

Search IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog), to find books and periodicals (scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, and other serials), or library materials such as music CDs, electronic resources, and videos. Materials at the Fort Wayne Helmke Library are designated by the library location FORTWAYNE.

IUCAT searches from on-campus computers will show only materials held by the IPFW Fort Wayne Helmke Library. To search all IU libraries, choose ALL from the Select Library pull-down menu on the search screen.

Sometimes IUCAT will lead you to articles in periodicals, but the most efficient way to locate articles is to use a periodical database or index to search many periodicals simultaneously.

Save time in the long run by investing a half-hour with our interactive Searching IUCAT Tutorial. It is an easy way to grasp fundamental search techniques and try your hand at practice searches designed to reinforce your knowledge. Also check our other IUCAT Guides for help in using IUCAT to your best advantage.

Use the default Basic Search search option to find important keywords or phrases in an IUCAT record, in any order. Choose this search when you are unsure of the exact author or title of works on your topic.

Choose the Begins With (Browse) option from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches to find words or phrases exactly as typed, letter-for-letter, searching from left to right. Choose this search to find known authors or titles.

Step 1. Enter term(s) in Title, Author, or Keywords Anywhere search boxes.

Step 2. Under Library, leave Fort Wayne Helmke Library as default, or change to ALL.

Step 3. Click the Search button.

Keywords Anywhere will search for words anywhere in a record. This search is the default when the Enter key is used instead of clicking the button.

            Example: (1st or first) and amendment and speech

Author will search for first or last names in any order in the author fields of a record. Included are personal names, organizations, agencies, corporations, conferences, etc.

            Example: scalia antonin [finds works by Antonin Scalia]

Title will search for important words in the title. Do not use initial articles: a, the, la, das, etc.

            Example: rights accused [finds The Rights of the Accused in Law and Action]

Subject will search for important words in the official Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).

            Example: freedom and religion and (united adj states)

Books, printed periodicals, and other library materials are shelved in Library of Congress Classification (LC) call number order. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine on which floor of the library an item will be shelved.

The most efficient way of finding a high-quality periodical article , is to search a periodical database or index that provides descriptive abstracts, subject indexing, and often, the full-text content of articles. Check out the interactive Finding Articles Tutorial to learn the basics of choosing and searching the Academic Search Premier database. Below is a selection of databases useful for your course. For a complete list, see the library's Find Resources By... page. Select a resource by Subject, Title, or Type (choose Abstracts, Databases, & Indexes).

University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Is Your Journal Scholarly? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?

Full text means that the text of the article is available in PDF or HTML digital format. Graphics and tables are not automatically included unless the database producer has rights to publish them. Many of the library's licensed databases offer the full-text content of periodical articles. IPFW students, faculty, and staff now have access to more than 20,000 full-text journals. Find them in E-Journal Finder.

When an article you need is not available full text in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options. You may be able to access the full-text content in another database, request the article from another library through Document Delivery Services, or make a photocopy of the article if the printed periodical is owned by Helmke Library.

Request Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).

You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.

The U.S. government is an excellent source for primary research materials. Helmke Library has been a selective federal depository for U.S. government publications since 1965, receiving items in the categories of business, the census, commerce, defense history, education, health, justice, foreign affairs, presidential and congressional materials. Many federal government publications are freely available in digital format, and these resources can be accessed using IUCAT Catalog. The library's Government Information/PIRS provides research assistance as well as access to the wealth of local, state, federal, and international government information on the Web. The Allen County Public Library is also a federal depository library.

For some information needs, the Internet may supplement library resources. To begin an Internet search, try one of the many search engines on our Internet Search site. One that works well is Google, which ranks results by number of links leading to a site. The section on Subject-Oriented Tools includes directories that have evaluated and selected sites for specific subject areas, such as the Librarians' Index to the Internet.

Because the World Wide Web is a massive, tangled directory of knowledge producers, research, facts, and entertaining tidbits of information, you must be critical about the material you find there. Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review. There are many useful guides and tutorials to help you understand how to navigate and evaluate Web sites, including Is Your Web Site Credible?

Freedom Forum Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people.

1st Amendment Online (University of Minnesota Law School) provides analysis and links to current cases in the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and Minnesota Supreme Court. Also provides analysis and data concerning First Amendment law.

First Amendment Handbook (Reporters Committee for Freedom on the Press) provides a basic primer on the laws affecting reporters' rights to gather and disseminate news.

First Amendment: An Overview (Legal Information Institute) provides links to recent first amendment decisions from the United States Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and state courts, and links to other key Internet sites.

First Amendment Center (Freedom Forum) provides lists of cases and resources for first amendment topics, speech, press, religious liberties, assembly, and petition, and links to Congressional Research Reports on first amendment issues.

U.S. Constitution: First Amendment (FindLaw) provides a summary of rulings with links to cases cited.

United States Supreme Court Provides links to authoritative sources about the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justices, and Supreme Court Decisions, including biographies of the Justices and their opinions, oral arguments, Senate nomination hearings, and full-text of decisions.

A variety of style guides are on reserve at the Service Desk on the first floor. These tools help you organize and write your paper, and format in-text references and bibliography lists.  For more information, also see our Style, Publishing, & Writing Guides.

Librarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.

bowenb@ipfw.edu 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499 260-481-6513 Fax: 260-481-6509 Brandon Bowen M.A., M.L.S. Information Services and Instruction librarian; Liaison to Anthropology, History, Political Science, Government Documents Coordinator Helmke Library, LB