Course resource help for International Relations and Politics

Quick access

Resources

Key databases for International Relations and Politics

Here is a list of recommended databases for IR and Politics research. Key databases are Academic Search Complete, HeinOnline and IBSS, but you may want to explore others, depending on your topic.

Need help with using databases?

Use the worksheet Finding journal articles for International Relations & Politics (Google doc) which gives tips on choosing keywords and using them to search databases. It has space for you add your own notes.
Many of the databases listed below have links to their own guides.
If you're not sure which database would be best for your topic, or you need help with database searching, you are welcome to contact the Library for individual help and advice. You can make a 1-to-1 appointment for help (in person or online).

Some databases sit on the same web platform so will look and work the same:

EBSCO databases include: Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete; Communication & Mass Media Complete; Historical Abstracts
ProQuest databases include IBSS and Sociological Abstracts.

Academic Search Complete

The best place to start your research, this is a large multidisciplinary database with good coverage of politics & international relations journals. Contains lots of full text articles.

HeinOnline

Includes a large collection of full-text journals It focuses on US and international law but can be very useful for international relations topics.

IBSS - International Bibliography of the Social Sciences

IBSS covers a wide range of social science disciplines, including politics and international relations.

Web of Science

In spite of its name, this database covers all subject areas. It's particularly useful for tracking citations to key articles. On Web of Science you can view an article and see a list of the author’s 'Cited References' - those sources that influenced the author. You can also see the article's influence on subsequent publications via the 'Times Cited' option.

JSTOR

This database provides an archive of full-text articles from a wide range of academic journals. JSTOR does not give access to issues which are less than 3-5 years old but is very useful for older journal articles

Business Source Complete

Major business database which includes management, economics and finance, but is also good for international issues and includes country profiles. Mainly full text.

EconLit

Key economics database with many journal articles available full text.

Communication & Mass Media Complete

Key database for topics relating to intercultural communication, media, social media, and society

Historical Abstracts

Key database for world history, including political history.

Sociological Abstracts

Covers a broad range of subjects including sociology, political theory, social anthropology. Covers material published since 1952. Also includes cited references for all journal articles indexed on the database since 2002. ProQuest.

Overton

Overton is a policy and grey literature database, it includes Overton Index and Overton Engage.

Overton Index: the world’s largest policy and grey literature database. It tracks over 21 million documents including links to the evidence, and policy citations.
Overton Engage: a database of policy engagement opportunities.

Researchers can use the database to track the impact of their own work on policy, and to nurture potential partnerships.

Explore journals

The journal collections below can work like databases, but only cover titles from specific publishers. Note we don't subscribe to every title in these collections:

These links will take you via the Brookes login system. Note if you have looked for a journal on Google, you won't be recognised as a Brookes student. Install the free LibKey Nomad browser extension to make sure you can access any articles provided by Brookes, wherever you are on the Web.

Keeping up to date

Journal collections often offer options for setting up alerts so that you can keep up to date with favourite journals.
If you want to follow journals from a variety of publishers, try using BrowZine. You can browse our electronic journals online & set up alerts for favourite titles. Use it within your browser or download the free app.

Find out more about these resources from our Journals page

Resources from the Global South

If you are researching topics relating to the Global South, here are some suggested resources. They are all Open Access and will allow you to track down publications not covered by traditional databases.

African Journals Online (AJOL)
A multi-disciplinary collection of 583 journals, from 35 African countries, 306 of which are Open Access.
Policy Commons
Database for policy-related grey literature. Organisations around the world (e.g. WHO) upload and share their policy documents.
Journals Online
Project looking to promote good quality Southern research. You can search collections or find individual journals.

Newspaper databases

If you want international news sources

Factiva is a global news database. It covers national newspapers, local newspapers and web sources, as well as trade and professional journals and company financial details.
A guide to using Factiva to find newspaper articles (video)

If you want UK newspapers

Use Factiva (above) or

Lexis+ is a law database which includes articles from UK national and regional news sources.
When you access the database, choose Content and then Newspapers. For further help with searching Lexis+ check How to use Lexis+ - see the section 'How to search newspapers'.

For more help with tracking down news sources and how to identify fake news, see our News sources page.

Other options

If you are undertaking in-depth research using newspapers, for example a discourse or content analysis, you may need to visit other libraries. Check the section 'Beyond Brookes - accessing newspapers at other libraries' on the News sources page.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference newspaper articles in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

For historical news sources, see the section 'Historical sources' below.

BoB for TV programmes, radio and films

Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is a service which gives you access to thousands of recorded TV, radio programmes and films from an online archive. Note that you will need to sign in with your Oxford Brookes login details each time you use BoB and the first time you access it, you will be prompted to create an account. This allows you to create your own playlists and clips, and ask for programmes to be added to the collection.

Getting started with BoB (guides)

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference BoB programmes in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Dictionaries and reference books

Oxford Reference Online - references sources on all subjects
OED - Online version of the Oxford English Dictionary for definitions.

Statistics and country reports

Statistics

Our Statistics page provides links to UK and international statistical sources.

Country reports

Annual country reports can be useful sources of information about the economic, political and social situation of individual countries:

Use the database Business Source Complete to run a search for the country name plus 'country report' (e.g. Nigeria country report).

Historical sources

Databases covering older academic sources

JSTOR Multidisciplinary database providing an archive of older full-text articles from a wide range of academic journals. It also includes books, images and primary sources
HeinOnline Includes a large collection of full-text journals and primary sources. It focuses on US and international law but can be very useful for international relations topics, politics and diplomacy.

Historical journals and magazines (late 17th C - early 20th C)

British Periodicals is an archive of hundreds of full text periodicals from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth, covering history, literature, music, philosophy, drama, archaeology, architecture, science, art and the social sciences.
Nineteenth century UK periodicals, series 1 provides access to digital editions of nearly 100 periodicals, including many full runs, published between 1800 and 1900.

Newspapers (late 18th C - 20th C)

The Guardian and The Observer 1791 - 2003 (via ProQuest). The complete digital edition of the Guardian (1821 - 2003) and the Observer (1791 - 2003) with all articles, advertisements and illustrations. Use the 'Publications' option to browse the different versions of these newspapers published over the years.
Times Digital Archive 1785-2007 (via Gale Databases). The complete digital edition of The Times (London), with all articles, advertisements and illustrations.
Seventeenth & Eighteenth century Burney newspapers collection (via Gale Databases) a digital archive of 17th and 18th newspapers, pamphlets, proclamations and newsbooks published in England, Ireland and Scotland, plus a selection of papers from British colonies in the Americas and Asia. Use the 'Browse' option to view which titles are included.
British Library newspapers (1800-1900) (via Gale Databases) - this collection covers contains digital editions of over 60 national and regional British newspapers from the 19th century. Use the 'Browse' option to view which titles are included. Note we have access to the collections 'British Library Newspapers, Part I: 1800-1900' and 'British Library Newspapers, Part II: 1800-1900'.
Gale Primary Sources allows you to cross-search all of the Gale historical collections we subscribe to. This covers: Seventeenth & Eighteenth century Burney newspapers collection; British Library newspapers (1800-1900); Times Digital Archive 1785-2007; 19th Century UK Periodicals.

See the 'Newspaper databases' section above if you want more contemporary newspapers.

Historical books

Early English books online (EEBO) Contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700. Full text.

Other primary historical sources

Historical government publications
History primary sources is a selection of primary sources, both online resources and print books which are anthologies of primary sources.

Government publications and grey literature

See the guide to Government publications below.

For policy documents:

Overton - This database covers policy and Grey Literature, allowing you to search for policy documents across a range of topics and organisations, including governments and NGOs.

Need help? Contact your librarian

Please get in touch if you have any queries about:

finding information and resources for assignments
finding online resources
referencing your sources

Library Help

library@brookes.ac.uk

If you can’t find what you need on this page, or if you have any questions, just get in touch.

Find out how to contact us

Book an appointment with a member of the Library team

Referencing

Citing your sources (also called referencing) is an essential part of your academic work and is explained fully on our page How to...Reference and avoid plagiarism.

For International Relations and Politics, you need to reference your sources in the Harvard style set out in these guides:

Cite Them Right Online shows you how to reference a wide range of sources (books, journal articles, websites) using exactly the same Harvard style used at Brookes.

NB Make sure you also check the specific requirements guidance for in-text citations (below).

The Library has also produced a shorter guide to using Harvard based on Cite Them Right (Word and PDF):

Specific requirements for in-text citations in International Relations and Politics

NB The Department of International Relations and Politics requires that in most cases you should include specific pages in an in-text citation. Failure to do this can mean you lose marks.

You need to place an in-text citation in your written work at the point where you refer to someone else’s work (a book, journal article, web source, report etc.). The in-text citation is a short version of the reference; the full version goes in your bibliography at the end.
It consists of the author (or editor) and publication year, followed by page numbers (use p. for a single page, pp. for multiple pages) and enclosed in brackets. For example:

(Wisker, 2018, p. 21)

For web sources without page numbers, you can number the paragraphs on the page and include the paragraph in your in-text citation. For example:

(Bruckner, 2017, para. 6)

Always include page numbers when:

quoting directly
referring to specific data e.g. statistics
paraphrasing or summarising an argument from the text.

You should only omit page numbers (or equivalent) if your citation refers to a complete work or to ideas that run through an entire work.

Find out more:

Sample text and reference list in the Harvard style

Cite Them Right has a Sample text and reference list using the Harvard style. This will help you understand what your referencing should look like in your written work.

EndNote and other referencing tools

It's a good idea to keep track of your sources as you find them, so that it's easier to reference them later. LibrarySearch and many databases offer tools to help you save references as you search.

LibrarySearch
In LibrarySearch you can use the cite option to get a citation for each item, formatted in the Harvard (Cite Them Right) style, however you should always check this against Cite Them Right and amend where necessary.
To find out more about the tools available on LibrarySearch, check this guide How to save and cite sources in LibrarySearch (Google slides).
Databases and Google Scholar
Google Scholar and many databases offer options for formatting references in a particular style. There are also many other referencing tools and apps but be aware that not all Harvard styles are the same as ours. Make sure you check your references against Cite Them Right or the Library guide and amend them if needed.
EndNote and other referencing tools
Endnote is a tool for storing and organising your references, and it will also work with Word or Pages to create a fully formatted bibliography from your reference library. Oxford Brookes Library offers guides, support and training with EndNote.

Getting further help with referencing

Guides

Cite Them Right Setting out quotations and Paraphrasing
Centre for Academic Development Writing with sources and Paraphrasing
Check the Google slides Referencing International Relations & Politics sources from the first year Library training session (POLI4003 Critical Skills in Politics and International Relations).

Asking for help

If you have a referencing query, contact the Library to Get help and support via live chat, by email or in person at the Welcome Desk. You can also make an appointment with a Librarian (online or face-to-face).
You can book a tutorial with staff from the Centre for Academic Development who can help you to develop skills in using your sources in your academic writing.

Check our bitesize Harvard videos

How to use the Library for International Relations and Politics

Get to know the Headington Library

If you're new to the Oxford Brookes Library, check our Library essentials quick guides

Get help and support in the Library

Find out about:

Studying in the Headington Library

Find out about Headington Library services, study spaces and opening hours

Group, quiet and silent study spaces are available throughout each floor on levels 2-4.

If you look at the map of Headington library, you'll see we use traffic light colours to indicate whether a space is for group work, quiet work or silent work. The map also shows where you can find computers and printers.

If you're a Distance Learning student

Below are some options that may be useful if you're a distance learning student. Do contact the Library via email (library@brookes.ac.uk) for individual advice.

Using LibrarySearch to find resources at Oxford Brookes and beyond

To look for books and articles held by other libraries, type your keywords in the LibrarySearch box and then use the menu on the left to change the settings from 'Oxford Brookes University' to 'Libraries Worldwide.' For many items you will see an option to place an interlibrary loan request

Obtaining journal articles via interlibrary loan
If you come across an article you need for your research but it isn't available at Oxford Brookes Library, you can request it via the interlibrary loan service. This service is free and if we can obtain the article, it will be emailed to you wherever you are.
Options for obtaining eBooks
Due to licensing restrictions, we can't borrow eBooks for you via interlibrary loan. Please check the Library's Go further, get more page for other options. Note that publishers don’t make every title available as an affordable eBook through library suppliers. Some cost hundreds of pounds, others are only available as part of a collection. We are not able to purchase Kindle books as they are licenced for individuals, not institutions like universities.
Book chapters - The Library's Scan and send service allows you to request a scan of a chapter from a print book that's in Library stock and we'll email it to you.

Using other libraries

Depending on where you're based, there may be options for using other libraries in your area. Don't forget the public library service as well as other universities.

If you're in the UK
- Check whether the SCONUL Access scheme may be helpful - find out more on our page How to access the Bodleian and other libraries.
- Jisc Library Hub Discover allows you to search materials held in many UK national, academic and specialist libraries
If you're outside the UK
There may be local options - try checking the websites of any university libraries and/or public libraries that are near you.

Looking after yourself - support, spaces and resources

Brookes support services

Student support and wellbeing - how to contact your Student Support Co-ordinator and other services.
Inclusive Support Service

Library support for wellbeing

Check our Life and study balance page to find out about the Library Wellbeing Zone, the bookable Sensory Study Space and collections of self-care resources.

Wellbeing resources - Resources to help with self-care and dealing with stress and anxiety.
Reading and viewing for pleasure - Take time out from your studies and discover the Library's collection of fiction, or check out BoB for TV programmes and films

Inclusivity and sustainability resources

Inclusive resource lists

Find out more about the library’s inclusion and diversity reading lists

Sustainability resource lists

Sustainable living - Living more sustainably in your daily life, covering topics such as food, fashion and travel.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) - A list for teaching staff on ESD theory and sustainability resources for your students.

Find and use your module reading lists

Check your module reading lists

Find and use your module reading list

You can find your reading list on each module's page on Moodle.

Your module leader may suggest you read things for various reasons e.g.

You may be asked to read a book chapter or journal article before a seminar, as it will be discussed as a group.
You may wish to read some recommended sources after a lecture, in order to consolidate what you learnt.
You can read resources on the reading list to help you research and write coursework.

Using your reading list:

The list may be organised into sections, such as the weekly schedule of topics. You can use the Table of contents (top left) to jump to the section you want.
Your tutors may have labelled items to help you to prioritise your reading. Essential readings are items you're expected to read as preparation for your classes. You'll also see recommended and optional resources that will be useful when you're doing assignments.

Find and use any reading list

You can also access any reading list - whether you are taking the module or not - via the Library web site:

Go to the Library home page and choose the Reading lists tab above the LibrarySearch box. Type in the module code or name.
Alternatively go directly to our reading list page.

Find books on the shelves in Headington Library

Finding books in the Library

Every book in Headington Library has a call number. This is the code written on the label on the side of the book. Books are arranged in numerical order, using these numbers. For example this book: Understanding international relations is shelved at 327 BRO.
To find a book's call number, you can look up the book on LibrarySearch.
Look at the signs on the wall in between the stairs and the lift on Level 1 to see which range of call numbers is on each level. You will find a detailed map on each level, and you can also download a library map
The main section for print books in International Relations and Politics is on Level 2 in Zone D of the Headington Library.
The guide How to find books for International Relations and Politics in the Brookes Library (Google doc) highlights key areas of the library for these subjects.

Borrowing, returning and placing holds

If the book is on loan to another user, you can put a hold on it. If it's on the shelves, it's quicker for you to go and get it yourself. Find out more about borrowing and returning books and placing a hold from:

How to...Borrow and return items
Library essentials quick guides

Explore reading lists for International Relations

Explore reading lists for Politics modules

Find sources for your IR and Politics assignments

Start with your module reading list

Module reading lists can also be a good starting point for finding resources for your assignments. Check the section Find and use your module reading lists above.

You can use the items on your reading list as a bridge to further resources:

Does the same author's name recur on the reading list? This may suggest that they are an expert on this topic. If so, try searching for their name on LibrarySearch and see what else they have published.
If you find a useful book on your reading list, see what books are on the same shelf. Books on similar topics are shelved together in the library.
If you find an interesting journal article on your reading list, there may be other useful articles in the same journal. Click on 'view online' to get to that article, then look for either a search box or a list of issues that you can browse through.
If you read something useful, have a look at the sources in their bibliography or reference list. Have they read anything there that looks useful or relevant? If so, put the title (not the whole reference) into LibrarySearch and see if you can find it.

Think about your keywords

Keywords are essential ingredients for your search that will help you find sources relevant to your topic. Look at your topic:

What are the most important words?
What other words can you use instead of these?
What do you want to find out?

For help with choosing keywords:

Check the video guide Choosing words to put in a search box.
Use the worksheet Finding journal articles for International Relations & Politics (Google doc) which gives for tips on choosing keywords and using them to search databases. It has space for you add your own notes.

Use LibrarySearch to find print books and e-books

Use LibrarySearch to look for books and e-books available in the Oxford Brookes Library.

Just type in the author, title or subject that you are interested in. Limit your search results to books and/or e-books.

Check the video guide on the right for tips on how LibrarySearch works.

Finding print books in the Library

Every book in Headington Library has a call number. This is the code written on the label on the side of the book. Books are arranged in numerical order, using these numbers.
When you look up a print book on LibrarySearch, look for the call number. For example this book: Understanding international relations has the call number 327 BRO.
Look at the signs on the wall in between the stairs and the lift on Level 1 to see which range of call numbers is on each level. You will find a detailed map on each level, and you can also download a library map
The main section for print books in International Relations and Politics is on Level 2 in Zone D of the Headington Library.
The guide How to find books for International Relations and Politics in the Brookes Library (Google doc) highlights key areas of the library for these subjects.

Borrowing, returning and placing holds

How to...Borrow and return items
Library essentials quick guides

Finding and using e-books

Here is an example of a library eBook: Contemporary Peacemaking: Peace Processes, Peacebuilding and Conflict. Follow the 'View eBook' link to connect to it. Log in when prompted with your Oxford Brookes student number and password.

Our eBooks are on various web platforms and will allow different options for reading and downloading. Find out more about accessing and downloading library e-books from our eBooks guide.

In order to download many of our eBooks, you need to have the Adobe Digital Editions programme or app on your computer/device. You can download the Adobe Digital Editions programme for free.

Understand and use academic journals

Academic journals are key sources for your IR and politics studies.

Articles published in these journals are written by specialists in the subject and they provide an insight into current thinking, debate and research in the field.
Journals can be good sources of up to date information on current topics which may not be covered by books.
Usually have a specific focus. They may report an in-depth research project or a case study.
Scholarly journal articles have to be doing something new (covering a gap in the literature), but also built on existing research. They often include a literature review

Peer-reviewed articles have been checked by other experts in the field. This is an important form of quality control for published research:

To find academic journal articles we recommend you use:

Find journal articles on LibrarySearch

LibrarySearch is a good place to start looking for journal articles on a topic. Just type your keywords or a phrase in the search box. At the results screen, use the the filter options on the left to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles.

We recommend you also use databases, especially for more in-depth research because LibrarySearch doesn’t cover all of our e-resources and you may get better results on a more specialised database.

To find out more about using journal articles, check the How to...guides section above:

Understand and use academic journals
How to read a journal article

Look for a specific journal or article

Looking for a specific journal

Go to the Library and select the 'Journal titles' tab.
Type in the journal title.
Find the journal on LibrarySearch and click on the title.
Click on the 'Access journal' link to connect to the journal homepage.
The journal site may offer a search function and will also allow you to browse. If browsing, use the year, volume and issue numbers to find the correct journal issue. Articles in each issue will be listed in page order, so use the page numbers to find the specific article.

Looking for a specific article

You may want to do this if you're following up a reference found in a bibliography:

Try looking up the article on LibrarySearch. Use the author's surname and a few keywords from the article title.
If you can't locate the article in this way, follow the steps above to look up the journal title and check if we have access to the journal and issue you need.

If we don't have the journal or issue you want, you can use the interlibrary loan service to request a free copy of the article.

How to read a journal article

Here is an example of an article from an academic journal which follows a very common structure:

Keating, A. and Melis, G. (2017) 'Social media and youth political engagement: Preaching to the converted or providing a new voice for youth?', The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 19 (4), pp. 877–894.

Always start with the abstract: a summary of the article’s content that appears at the beginning.
Look at this to help you decide if an article is relevant for your own research. The abstract will indicate the scope of the article: a study using specific research methods? Analysis of a theory? Case study?

Journal articles often have this structure: Introduction - Body of the article - Discussion/conclusions.

Introductory section: the author will usually set their article in the context of previous research. Notice all the in-text citations, e.g. (Putnam, 2000). These are sources that the authors read before conducting their own research.
Body of the article: This may report a research study.
Discussion/Conclusions: What are the authors’ reflections and conclusions? Do they make recommendations for further research? Do they agree/disagree with earlier research?

When you're searching for sources, you don't have to read the article in full at this stage. Scan through the abstract, introduction and conclusion to see if it's relevant to your own research topic. If the article looks useful, download the PDF and read it later, making notes as you go. Don’t forget to record all the details of the article for your reference list.

For tips on understanding how to read and understand social science research articles, take a look at this book:

Harris, S. (2014) How to critique journal articles in the social sciences. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Use LibrarySearch to keep track of your sources

It's a good idea to keep track of your sources as you find them, so that it's easier to reference them later. Check this guide for How to save and cite sources in LibrarySearch (Google slides)

Always check Cite Them Right to see how your references should look in the Harvard style required at Oxford Brookes.

Library eBooks - Cite Them Right says to reference these in the same way as print books
Journal articles - make sure you have a record of: Author(s); Title of article; Title of journal; Year of publication; Volume number (if given); Issue number (if given); Page numbers. You may also want to note the DOI.

Search databases for more resources

LibrarySearch is a useful starting point but it doesn’t include all of our e-resources. We recommend you also use library databases to look for IR and Politics literature:

Databases can give you additional sources that aren't listed on LibrarySearch
They systematically cover key journals in different subject fields, so are important when you're reviewing the literature for your dissertation.
Many databases focus on journal articles. but we also have databases containing newspaper articles, TV programmes, images and other resources. Explore the Resources section above for more details.

NB Always connect to Library databases through the Library web site. You'll be prompted to log in with your Brookes ID and then will get full access.

Use LibKey Nomad and Browzine to access articles anywhere

Install the free LibKey Nomad browser extension to make sure you can access any articles provided by Brookes, wherever you are on the Web.

Use BrowZine to browse our electronic journals online & set up alerts for favourite titles. You can use it within your browser or download the free app.

Find out more about both of these resources from our Journals page

Find and use other types of sources

Check the Resources section above for links to: Newspaper databases; BoB for TV programmes, radio and films; Dictionaries and reference books; Statistics and country reports; Historical sources; Government publications and grey literature.

Using Google & Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a freely available search engine that focuses on scholarly sources. Check our guide Searching Scholar to find out how to ensure it recognises resources you can access for free via Oxford Brookes.
Google isn't recommended for finding academic sources but may be useful for other searches, for example looking for an organisation's web site.
Get more from Google - tips on using Google and Google Scholar more effectively.
Install the free LibKey Nomad browser extension to make sure you can access any articles provided by Brookes, wherever you are on the Web.

Assessing the quality of web sources

Remember that you need high quality reliable sources for your university work. Take a look at our guide to Evaluating Web sources for tips (Word & PDF versions available).

Useful websites

The online publication The Conversation contains articles written by academics for a general audience on topics currently in the news and contains links to freely available resources, including statistics. This can be a good starting point for getting ideas on how to approach a research topic.
Selection of useful websites for IR and Politics

Referencing webpages

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference web pages and how to reference publications of international organisations in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Writing essays and other assignments

Check the Study Smarter section to find online resources and recommended books on study skills topics, including:

Managing yourself and your time
Reading, lectures and note taking
Writing essays, reports and other assignments
Skills for dissertations and independent research

Prepare for presentations, posters and exams

Group work, presentations and posters

Lists of books, web resources and other support on:

Preparing for exams

Past exam papers are available for download by Oxford Brookes students and staff from RADAR. Choose 'Learning and Teaching', then 'Past Examination Papers'. You can also check this quick video guide Finding past Oxford Brookes exam papers on RADAR
Useful resources on Preparing for exams (part of our Study Smarter series)

Use images in your presentations and coursework

Check this guide Using images in your assignments (Google slides) which covers:

Understanding copyright
Finding free to use images
Crediting and referencing images

Collections of images

For high quality photographs & other images, try these digital image databases mentioned in the guide above:

Bridgeman Education
JSTOR image search (incorporating ARTstor) - provides high-quality images from around the world, including artworks, maps, photographs, and more.

Collections of high quality, free to use photos and images - all mentioned in the guide above:

Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is an online archive of films, TV and radio programmes. You can create your own clips from programmes and include them in presentations. Learn more from the Getting started with BoB (guides)

A male and a female student working with laptops

Understand how to use AI responsibly

See whether AI is appropriate, which tools Brookes suggests, and what to look out for. Remember AI tools should work alongside more traditional research methods to enhance your study, not do the work for you.

Check Brookes guidance on use of AI tools

Always check the assignment brief to see whether any use of AI is permitted. If you have used AI, you must acknowledge it.

Key pages for Brookes guidance:

*New* AI Guidance at Oxford Brookes from IT Services
Check the CAD guidance on Artifical Intelligence for:
- A list of Brookes-approved tools e.g. Microsoft Co-pilot (could be useful for suggestions of keywords for searching)
- CAUTION checklist for you to assess your use of AI
Make sure you understand the Academic conduct procedure: Misuse of AI
All students must take the Use of Artificial Intelligence Moodle course.

Suggested AI tools for literature searching

The Library page How to… Use AI tools for research has details of suggested tools that you can use to expand your literature search, including Keenious and Research Rabbit.

These AI tools work differently to Gen AI tools. They’re specialised tools built on collections of academic work, however you should still verify what you find by checking other sources.

Keenious is an AI tool which can help you expand your literature search. Use your Google account to access. You can type/paste text in the box or upload a file - something you’ve written or an article you’ve found. Keenious will then suggest:

Ways to help you explore the article in more depth
Other articles to read, based on that text (related research)

NB Keenious only retains uploaded documents for 24 hours.

Research Rabbit is designed to help you find “more articles like this”. When you build up a collection of papers, it will generate a visual map which also highlights other papers you might have missed. You need to create an account.
You can:

Search by keyword
Search for a specific paper
Upload a document to find related papers

Be sceptical if using GenAI tools

Take care when using chat tools like ChatGPT and Gemini in an academic context. They are often not appropriate for literature searching:

If you ask them for information they will generate text, but without searching the literature.
They cannot perform comprehensive searches of the journal literature as library databases do.
AI tools often do not reveal how they search or what sources they use.
They are prone to “hallucinations” - they often invent plausible references which do not exist.
Be wary of summaries generated by chat tools - they may miss or misrepresent key arguments and will often reflect bias.

Be sceptical. Check carefully and verify with multiple sources.

What AI *can* be used for:

Making connections between research papers - see the page How to… Use AI tools for research
Suggesting keywords.
Explaining concepts.
Helping organise notes.

Dissertations and Independent Studies

POLI5008: Literature searching for your dissertation - slides from Library session

Developing your research skills

Lists of useful resources:

Dissertations and independent research in Sociology, Politics and International Relations - resources on developing a research question, doing a research proposal and much more.
Social research methods

Access to the Bodleian Library

Who can access: MA students and undergraduates doing dissertation or equivalent research (from the 2nd Semester of your 2nd Year) are eligible to apply for a Bodleian card.

What they hold: The Bodleian is a copyright deposit library, which means that a copy of all British publications should be deposited in its collections by the publisher under copyright law. Check their Library catalogue SOLO

How to apply: Check How to access the Bodleian and other libraries. Note that there are different procedures if you apply during the vacation

What you can access: You can use the main Bodleian Library of Oxford University, as well as the Social Science Library.
Your Bodleian card gives you access to print and e-resources but only within their library buildings. You will be given a Bodleian Libraries username and password which allows you to log into SOLO, library PCs and the ‘Bodleian-Libraries’ Wi-Fi network as well as using their Print, Copy and Scan (PCAS) service. For full details, check their guide What access do I have as a Bodleian Reader card holder

Interlibrary loan and other options for getting materials Oxford Brookes doesn't hold

Interlibrary loan service

You can use this free service to request a loan of a print book or to obtain a copy of a journal article that we don’t hold at Oxford Brookes. Find out more about the interlibrary loan service

Go further, get more

Check the Library's Go further, get more page for other options.

Access other library catalogues

LibrarySearch: Libraries worldwide
You can use LibrarySearch to look for resources in the Oxford Brookes Library and beyond. To look for books and articles held by other libraries, type your keywords in the search box and then use the menu on the left to change the settings from 'Oxford Brookes University' to 'Libraries Worldwide.' For many items you will see an option to place an interlibrary loan request.
Jisc Library Hub Discover allows you to search materials held in many UK national, academic and specialist libraries.
SOLO Search the catalogue of the University of Oxford

Access past dissertations

Undergraduate

Past undergraduate dissertations for IR and Politics are kept in the Department, rather than the Library. They are held in Gibbs 1.03 (access 9.00-17.00 only). To view these dissertations, you should contact the Programme Administrator.
Undergraduate Business dissertations are located in Headington Library and this includes dissertations done by Economics, Politics & International Relations students. You can use LibrarySearch to look for them - see this blog post for tips: Finding business dissertations.

Postgraduate

Some MA dissertations may be available online via the eDissertations collection on RADAR.

PhD/MPhil thesis

A copy of every Oxford Brookes PhD and MPhil thesis is deposited with the Library in print format (also known as a 'hardcopy'), online format (also known as 'electronic' theses or eTheses), or in both print and online formats. Oxford Brookes theses submitted from 2021 onwards are only available from the Library in online (or 'electronic') format.
To find print and online Oxford Brookes theses you can search LibrarySearch by author, title, keyword, while for only the online theses you can browse or search our repository RADAR.
If you want to search beyond Brookes, check the Library's Theses page.

Government publications

Government publications are primary sources of information for many subject areas. This guide will help you trace UK Government publications both in the Library and on the Web. You may find this A-Z glossary of key parliamentary terms helpful for understanding the role of specific kinds of publications.

Although this guide focuses primarily on UK Government publications, it also includes some guidance on tracing EU, US and international sources.

This list includes links to relevant sections of Cite Them Right Online which gives guidance on how to reference specific types of sources.

General sources for UK Government publications

Gov.uk - the UK Government Web site provides access to a range of government information and publications
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers - access to the full text of the entire collection of House of Commons parliamentary papers from 1688 to 2003/04 session via this library database.
United Kingdom parliamentary publications and records: the UK parliament publishes a range of government information and many of these publications are available online from this site
LibrarySearch: Search by keyword for specific publications, or publication on a particular topic.
The Stationery Office (TSO) publish many UK government publications. The Office also acts as an agent for some European and International organisations. Search the TSO Parliamentary & Legal Bookshop for publication details.

See below for guidance on finding specific types of publication.

Acts of Parliament (Statutes) and Statutory Instruments (SIs)

An Act of Parliament, also known as a statute is a law, enforced in all areas of the UK where it is applicable. More about Acts (UK Parliament guide)

Statutory Instruments (SIs) are government orders or regulations made by a Minister under the authority of a specific Act.

For further help, see the Library Guide to English Law (PDF)

Print sources

Current Law Statutes (shelved at 348.02 C on Level 2) is a print series which provides the full text of Acts. It dates from 1961 and statutes are listed chronologically (there is no subject index).

Online sources

UK Statute Law Database is freely available and provides full-text access to UK Statutes from 1988 and SIs from 1987.
The database Lexis+ provides full text Statutes and SIs. There is also some access to previous versions of legislation.
Westlaw database provides fully consolidated* full-text Statutes since 1267 and SIs since 1947. (*A consolidated statute incorporates all the amendments to the statute since its last revision.)
The Statutory Instruments web site provides access to the full text of (SIs) since 1997, arranged by year and SI number. Use the search engine to find SIs on a particular topic.
Acts of the Scottish Parliament provides full text of Acts from 1999.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference UK statutes (Acts of Parliament) and Statutory Instruments (SIs) in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Bills

A Bill is a draft law. It becomes an Act if it is approved by a majority in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent). More about Bills (UK Parliament guide).

Parliament Bills website provides access to the full text of Bills currently before Parliament.
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers - library database giving access to the full text of the entire collection of House of Commons parliamentary papers including Bills, from 1688 to 2003/04 session.
The Weekly Information Bulletin provides access to bibliographic details about Bills from 1996 onwards. It provides complete lists of public bills and their progress through Parliament
The Library holds a few Bills and some publications about individual Bills. Search by keyword using LibrarySearch to check our holdings, e.g. 'housing bills'
See the Hansard section of this guide to find information about debates on Bills.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Bills from the House of Commons or House of Lords in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Command papers

Government publications presented to Parliament are known as Command Papers. Most but not all Command Papers are published in a numbered series. More about Command Papers (UK Parliament guide)

Command papers online - use the filter options on the left to look narrow your search e.g. by date.
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers - library database giving access to the full text of the entire collection of House of Commons parliamentary papers including Command Papers, from 1688 to 2003/04 session.
The Library also holds a number of Command Papers. A keyword search on command paper using LibrarySearch will give a list of all command papers. Search by keyword for particular topics, e.g 'command paper family'

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Command Papers including Green and White Papers in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Parliamentary debates

Hansard (official report) is the daily record of debates from Parliament.

The full text of many debates from 1988 onward can be found on the Hansards section of the UK Parliament web site. These include both debates from the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Hansard in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Government department publications

The UK Government website lists Government Departments which can provide a range of useful information, e.g. publications including White Papers and Green Papers, statistical information, links to other useful sites.

The Library holds many publications by different government departments. LibrarySearch provides details of our holdings . Try searching by keyword using the particular Department e.g. 'Department of Health' and/or the subject e.g. 'special needs'.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Departmental publications in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Consultation documents: White Papers and Green Papers

A consultation paper is a policy document that is put out by the Government for public comment and feedback. The UK Government website has a list of All current consultations

Green Papers are consultation documents produced by the Government. The aim of this document is to allow people both inside and outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative proposals.
White papers are policy documents produced by the Government that set out their proposals for future legislation. White Papers are often published as Command Papers and may include a draft version of a Bill that is being planned. This provides a basis for further consultation and discussion with interested or affected groups and allows final changes to be made before a Bill is formally presented to Parliament.

The full text of White Papers and Green Papers are available on the web sites of the Government Departments publishing them.

The Library also holds a number of consultation documents or papers. A keyword search using LibrarySearch for consultation document and your chosen topic, e.g 'planning consultation documents' will find all relevant items. To ensure you find all relevant items, do an additional search for 'planning consultation paper'

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Command Papers including Green and White Papers in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Select committees

Select committees are small groups of MPs or members of the House of Lords that are set up to investigate a specific issue in detail or to perform a specific scrutiny role. They may call in officials and experts for questioning and can demand information from the government. Select committees publish their findings in a report and the government is expected to respond to any recommendations that are made.

All Select Committee publications
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers - library database giving access to the full text of the entire collection of House of Commons parliamentary papers including those from Select Committees, from 1688 to 2003/04 session..
The Library also holds some select committee publications. LibrarySearch will provide details of our holdings, e.g. a search for 'select committee transport' will find all relevant committee publications.

Select committee publications can be referenced in a similar way to publications from government departments, using the name of the select committee in place of the government department. Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Departmental publications in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

House of Commons Library reports (briefing papers)

Briefing papers are produced by staff of the House of Commons Library research service for MPs and their staff. They often draw on UK Government publications and statistics for their data. Note that these briefing papers present the data as it was at a certain period in time, so an older briefing paper might present out of date information.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference House of Commons Library reports in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Law Commission reports

The Law Commission is a statutory independent body that keeps the law under review and recommends reform where it is needed. The Law Commission web site contains summaries and full text of all recent reports and consultation papers.
The Library also holds a number of reports and papers. Use LibrarySearch to find details of our holdings. Try searching for 'law commission' for all publications, or use keywords for reports on a particular subject.

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference Law commission reports and consultation papers in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

Statistical publications

Many official statistics are freely available online. Check the Library guide to Statistics which is organised by subject, to trace statistical information online as well as in the Library's collection.

Key online sources for official UK statistics are:

Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics, ONS collects and publishes statistics on a wide range of topics. They also conduct the census in England and Wales every 10 years.
Gov.uk: Statistics provides access to statistics produced by UK government departments and many other agencies and public bodies.

Grey literature

Grey Literature is material with little or no general distribution, it is not available through normal book selling channels, but may be available online.

Overton database covers policy and Grey Literature, allowing you to search for policy documents across a range of topics and organisations, including governments and NGOs.

EU law and publications

Europa: the official web site of the European Union includes news, official documents, statistics. The following sections may be useful:

European Commission - The European Commission is the source of policy initiatives within the European Union. It also acts as the EU executive body and guardian of the Treaties.
EU law and publications - The Publications Office provides access to official documents from the EU including Green and White Papers via this web site.
Eurostat - offers a wide range of free EU statistics.
CURIA: Court of Justice of the European Communities Includes current case law and full-text judgements.
European Council - The Council defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities. It is not one of the EU's legislating institutions, so does not negotiate or adopt EU laws. Instead it sets the EU's policy agenda, traditionally by adopting 'conclusions' during European Council meetings which identify issues of concern and actions to take.
European Parliament - The Parliament acts as a co-legislator, sharing with the Council the power to adopt and amend legislative proposals and to decide on the EU budget. It also supervises the work of the Commission and other EU bodies and cooperates with national parliaments of EU countries to get their input.
Library guide Resources for EU Law (PDF)
Useful websites for EU law

Check Cite Them Right Online for guidance on how to reference European Union (EU) publications in the Harvard style used at Oxford Brookes.

US Government publications

The Congressional Record is the official daily record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress (Senate and House of Representatives). Through this website you can also access The Daily Digest which summarizes floor and committee actions in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
HeinOnline database includes the full text of US Federal legislation. To find a specific act, go to the database homepage and choose 'U.S. Federal Legislative History Library' under 'Browse Databases by Name'. When you click on the database title you'll get a menu of options. Choose the top one also called 'U.S. Federal Legislative History Library'. You'll get an option to browse for legislation by title.

International law, treaties and conventions

Sources of International Law lists a range of useful and authoritative websites, including international conventions and treaties.

Course resource help for International Relations and Politics

Quick access

LibrarySearch

Academic Search Complete

Access other recommended databases for IR and Politics

Find sources for your IR and Politics assignments

Check how to reference your sources

Understand how to use AI responsibly

Resources

Key databases for International Relations and Politics

Academic Search Complete

HeinOnline

IBSS - International Bibliography of the Social Sciences

Web of Science

JSTOR

Business Source Complete

EconLit

Communication & Mass Media Complete

Historical Abstracts

Sociological Abstracts

Overton

Explore journals

Keeping up to date

Resources from the Global South

Newspaper databases

If you want international news sources

If you want UK newspapers

Other options

BoB for TV programmes, radio and films

Dictionaries and reference books

Statistics and country reports

Statistics

Country reports

Historical sources

Databases covering older academic sources

Historical journals and magazines (late 17th C - early 20th C)

Newspapers (late 18th C - 20th C)

Historical books

Other primary historical sources

Government publications and grey literature

Need help? Contact your librarian

Library Help

Referencing

Specific requirements for in-text citations in International Relations and Politics

Sample text and reference list in the Harvard style

EndNote and other referencing tools

Getting further help with referencing

Check our bitesize Harvard videos

How to use the Library for International Relations and Politics

Get to know the Headington Library

Get help and support in the Library

Studying in the Headington Library

If you're a Distance Learning student

Using LibrarySearch to find resources at Oxford Brookes and beyond

Using other libraries

Looking after yourself - support, spaces and resources

Brookes support services

Library support for wellbeing

Inclusivity and sustainability resources

Inclusive resource lists

Sustainability resource lists

Find and use your module reading lists

Check your module reading lists

Find books on the shelves in Headington Library

Find sources for your IR and Politics assignments

Start with your module reading list

Think about your keywords

Use LibrarySearch to find print books and e-books

Understand and use academic journals

Find journal articles on LibrarySearch

Look for a specific journal or article

Looking for a specific journal

Looking for a specific article

How to read a journal article

Use LibrarySearch to keep track of your sources

Search databases for more resources

Use LibKey Nomad and Browzine to access articles anywhere

Key guides

How to use LibrarySearch

Choosing words to put in a search box