Background Information - KSGA 30011 — Global Policy Seminar - Library Guides at University of Notre Dame

Getting Started

Concise, Current, And Historical Background Information

By Topic or Issue

Gale in context. Global issues (formerly Global issues in context) This link opens in a new window
Focuses on broad issues, such as war, genocide, terrorism, human rights, poverty, famine, globalization, world trade, nuclear proliferation, and global warming, as well as more specific events and topics in the news that are related to these broader issues. Ties together a variety of sources to present an analysis of issues. Portal pages organize and present full-text articles from newspapers, magazines, and academic journals, encyclopedia entries, and primary resources such as podcasts and speeches, videos, maps, images, websites, and statistics.
CQ researcher This link opens in a new window
Covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more, with a United States focus. Includes news covered in print issues of: Editorial research reports (1924-1986), Congressional quarterly's editorial research reports (1987-1991) and CQ researcher (1991-).

The Learning Network; The New York Times
News and commentary from a "newspaper of record."

By Country or Organization

Political risk yearbook This link opens in a new window
"Political Risk Services (PRS) publishes 100 Country Reports that monitor the risks to international business over the next five years, using Coplin-O'Leary methodology."--Home page

The World Factbook by The United States Central Intelligence Agency
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.

Political Handbook of the World (2015)
Political Handbook of the World provides thorough and accurate information on the major aspects of each country's government and political party system.

International year book and statesmen's who's who This link opens in a new window
Includes information on countries, territories and federal states; significant international and national organizations; and biographical profiles of significant people.

Contemporary, Detailed, And Authoritative Analysis

Economist Intelligence Unit This link opens in a new window
Provides frequently updated, in depth analysis of the political, social, cultural, and economic conditions of selected countries.

See "Country Reports"

The Hesburgh Libraries currently has full access to reports for the following countries and partial access to the rest:

Bangladesh
Brazil
Chile
China
Germany
India

Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Mexico

Nigeria
North Korea
Philippines
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States

Daily News and Analysis

Two approaches to daily reading of one or more major newspapers

Option A:

Select your preferred database (search strategy, display options, etc.) and drill down to the newspaper(s) in question. Usually you will be able to limit your search to the latest issue at the start of your search. You may also narrow your search to a specific topic.

Option B:

Start on the Libraries homepage and search for the title of your newspaper(s) selecting appropriate links until you arrive at the newspaper's latest articles in your selected database. You may then limit your results to the latest available issue to limit the number of records displayed. As with Option A, you may narrow your search to a specific topic.

Newspaper source plus This link opens in a new window
Provides full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Times (London), The Toronto Star, etc. Selected full text for more than 200 regional (U.S.) newspapers, including The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, The Miami Herald, The New York Daily News, The San Jose Mercury News, etc. Full text television & radio news transcripts provided from CBS News, FOX News, NPR, etc. Please note: for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), use Factiva, a product of Dow Jones, the publisher of the WSJ. For the New York Times, use Factiva or NexisUni.

To locate a newspaper or newspapers for daily review:

Type the name of the newspaper in the "Publications" box [right of the page].
Limit your search to the current month and year [left of the page].
- Enter search terms as needed OR
- Leave search statement box empty to retrieve all daily content.
Run search.
Change "Relevance" to "Date Newest" [near right top of page].
Browse down to review articles in the latest edition.

Note: If you don't have the correct name of the newspaper, use the alphabetical list of titles available from the "Publications" lnk at the top of the page to locate the correct entry.

There is NO limit for simultaneous users. Please use this option when it contains your newspaper(s).

Factiva This link opens in a new window
Successor to Dow Jones News Service, Factiva provides access to global news and business information, including newspapers, same-day newswires, company reports, and media programs. Usage info: Licensed for 4 simultaneous users.

To locate a newspaper or newspapers for daily review.

Select "Search"
Select "Search Builder"
Using arrows and boxes, under "Sources" select "All Sources"
Drill down to titles by selecting the relevant continent > region > country > newspaper title
Select newspaper title
- Record code for future use
- Example: Europe > Western Europe > Ireland > Irish Times > rst=irti
Copy the code into the search box
In the "Date" box, select "In the past day."
Review the latest edition.

Note: selecting the symbol will provide a description of that newspaper's coverage including scope and frequency. Select one that updates to the current or previous day and includes all or most content. Some titles are weekly or are embargoed for weeks or months.

Please note that currently (August 2017) access to Factiva is limited to 4 simultaneous users. During this semester we will be determining if this level of access is adequate. If you are denied access, please send an email with the "Subject: Factiva denied" to archer.1@nd.edu. This will allow us to track demand and determine if greater access is needed.

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Covers "more than 15,000 news, legal and business sources... including ... "Print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs; Local, regional, national and international newspapers with deep archives; Extensive legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790; ... business information on more than 80 million U.S. and international companies and more than 75 million executives.

To search for English language newspapers.

To determine a newspaper's correct name for searching:
- From the homepage, select the "Search the News Box" (lower left).
- Under "By Source Type," enter name of newspaper.
- Select i and review entries for coverage and updating schedule.
- Record or copy name of newspaper.

To access today's edition:
- Choose "Advanced Options" (under main search box)
- Under "Date" select "Date is Today."
- Type in search box > publication(Name of Publication), e.g. publication(Washington Post).
- Select "Apply."
- Select "Search" from main page.

Selected "newspapers of record" with daily, complete coverage available through Lexis/Nexis:
- The Washington Post
- The New York Times
- The Times (London)
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The Times of India

To search for Non-English language newspapers

On the homepage, near the top right, select "Search by Subject or Topic."
Select "Foreign Language News."
Choose "Advanced Options."
Under "Date" select "Date is Today."
Type in search box > publication(Name of Publication), e.g. publication(Le Monde).
Select "Apply."
Select "Search" from main page.
- Please note: if your search is unsuccessful, try entering an alternate form of te newspaper's name.

Next to the primary search box on the Libraries homepage, select NDCatalog, then:

Select "Advanced Search"
On the left, change "Any" to "Title"
Do not change "contains"
Type in the name of the newspaper, e.g. New York Times or Wall Street Journal or Irish Times
On the right, next to "Material Type" change "All items" to "newspapers"
On the lower left, Select "Search"

This should produce a least one records for the desired title if ND has a subscription:

Select the matching record
Select the
"
Online Access
"
button
Under the "Online Access" label, select the link

If there is more than one option, this should produce a list of links for online access from which you may choose.

Select the link to your preferred database and then use the database's limit function to restrict your search to the latest issue or to sort from the most recent publication date.

Sometimes, especially in the case of short, one or two word titles you may retrieve too many results for easy access. If that happens,

Select "Advanced Search"
On the left, change "Any" to "Title"
Change "contains" to "Is (exact)"
Type in the name of the newspaper, e.g. New York Times or Wall Street Journal or Irish Times
On the right, next to "Material Type" change "All items" to "newspapers"
On the lower left, Select "Search"

If this still doesn't work, try starting your search in Factiva, Nexis Uni or Newspaper Source Plus or contact your subject librarian.