Research Guides: PADM 601: Principles of Public Administration: Recommended Article Sources

Search Term Examples

You may have to include government or non-profit as a search term.

bureaucracy
"central government"
"country comparison"
growth
"political development"
"political power"
"political science theories"
"public sector"

"corporate culture"
excellence
"high performing organizations"
"new governance"
performance
"organizational behavior"

disparities
inequalities
"social equity"
"social responsibility"

"information technology"

Sample Research terms
(Include these if there are many peer-reviewed results):

Best practices
Evidence-based
Empirical
Longitudinal

Nia Rodgers

Contact:

slrodgers@vcu.edu
(804) 828-8565
Cabell Library, Room 121

Subjects: Public Affairs and Political Science

Case Studies

Search your topic in these databases, with "case study" as a second term in the search.

ABI/INFORM Collection
Provides articles from a scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers on a wide assortment of leadership, management, organizational behavior, and similar topics. (ProQuest)
Business Source Complete
Citation and full text content from scholarly business journals and other sources including peer-reviewed business publications. Addresses the same types of topics as ABI/INFORM Collection. (EBSCO)
PsycINFO
Scholarly articles on all aspects of human behavior. The studies include individual behaviors, e.g., charitable behavior, and group behaviors, e.g., team dynamics, organizational behavior.

Seminar Paper on Policies & Issues

Public Administration Abstracts
Similar to PAIS, but much smaller since coverage is 1978 forward. (EBSCO)
Sociological Abstracts
Focuses on articles discussing a variety of topics within the context of their effect on the development, structure, and functioning of society. Another source of articles on various theories and overarching concepts. 1952-present. (ProQuest)
Political Science Complete
Similar to Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, so good for comparing countries. The two databases complement each other. (EBSCO)
PAIS Index
International database focusing on public and social policies; includes articles on various theories of public administration. It has articles from a variety of sources, including journals, government reports, and gray literature. Coverage is 1915-current. (ProQuest)
Social Services Abstracts
Current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development, 1979-present. (ProQuest)
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, economics, law, and public administration and policy. Can be especially valuable for comparing countries. (ProQuest)

3. Multidisciplinary

The following three databases cover many different subjects, but none in great depth. Very good for retrieving materials from other disciplines.

Academic Search Complete
Results will be from a broad spectrum of disciplines, and will be from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. (EBSCO)
Google Scholar
Citations for scholarly literature from a wide variety of disciplines. Customize Google Scholar for VCU by selecting 'settings' and then 'library links.' Select both Virginia Commonwealth University and Open WorldCat; click on 'save.'

Critique one Peer-Reviewed Article

Search any database listed above, but use limiters to Peer Reviewed or Scholarly. Feel free to email me if you want to make sure the item you are looking at is scholarly/peer-reviewed. From your syllabus:

1) Brief synopsis of the article (no more than four sentences).
2) Significant argument(s) of the author(s)
3) Critical analysis of findings and the argument(s).
4) Important questions and implications raised by the argument.
5) Reflection on the article in terms of the arguments significance for the field and you.

Writing a Literature Review

Research Guide for Writing a Literature Review
Tutorials and tips for writing a literature review.