POS 6934
Library Research on Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Librarian: Ken Frankel
November 14, 2005

I. Locating books in the Library:

1. WebLUIS (the Library's catalog): click on Catalog or Books. The following types of basic searches are available:

A. Keywords: This search looks for a word anywhere in the record. Keywords can be truncated with a ? For example, terror?? will search for terror, terrorism, terrorists, etc.
B. Author's Name: last name first, you don't need to capitalize
C. Title: if a title starts with "The," "A," or "An," omit that and skip to the next word.
D. Subject: Subjects must be entered in a specific manner according to the Library of Congress subject headings. You may get a cross-reference, for example counterterrorism gives a cross reference to use "terrorism prevention." Some subject heading examples that might be useful:

• Bin Laden, Osama
• McVeigh, Timothy
• terrorism
• terrorism prevention
• Qaida organization
• September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001
• War on Terrorism, 2001-

*If you're not finding anything with a subject search try a keyword search instead*

E. Journal/Magazine Title: be sure to check the "Library Has" link to see which dates the Library owns. (Note: not all electronic journals we have are cataloged in WebLUIS. There is also a link to a list of all electronic journals available at FAU.)

The Advanced search screen allows you to combine terms using "and, or, not" as well as limiting a search by location, date, format or language.

II. Searching for articles in databases

To search for articles click on “Indexes/Databases” or “Articles.” There are both alphabetical and subject listings of databases. The Library provides access to a number of databases useful to study terrorism and counterterrorism from a variety of perspectives: sociological, criminological, legal, political science, etc. In addition, databases providing access to current news sources and background information on countries are available. 

Note: when using these databases from off-campus you must log in through the EZ-Proxy link. You will need to enter the number from your Owl Card in order to do this. The SFX system allows you to link to external sources such as other databases holding the full text of the article, the Library's catalog, the list of FAU's electronic journals, ILLIAD requesting, etc.

A.  Academic Journal Databases:

Expanded Academic ASAP
Includes scholarly journals, news magazines and newspaper articles regarding arts and humanities, social sciences and science and technology disciplines. 

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
The most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs.  Includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs.

 Criminal Justice Abstracts
Contains comprehensive coverage of international journals, books, reports, dissertations, and unpublished papers on criminology and related disciplines.

Criminal Justice Periodicals 
Based on the print index, Criminal Justice Periodical Index (CJPI) provides cover-to-cover access for 45 criminal justice journals, plus complete abstracts for over 100 additional titles.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
The NCJRS web site is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.

PAIS International
Database chronicling global public policy and social issues. Consists of articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, book chapters, and statistical directories about public affairs.

Political Science: A SAGE Full Text Collection
Includes the full-text of 19 journals published by SAGE and participating societies, some journals going back twenty years, encompassing over 6,700 articles. 

B. Current News Databases:

Access World News
Provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 500 international sources, each with its own distinctive focus offering diverse viewpoints on local, regional and world issues.

LexisNexis Academic
Accesses over a billion full text news, magazine, legal, and business articles and reports, including newspapers, magazines and government documents, state and federal laws and regulations, case law, newsletters, company and industry information.

C. Country Information Databases:

CountryWatch
Provides up-to-date news and information on each of the 192 recognized countries of the world. Includes demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental information

Political Risk Yearbook Online
Offers Country Reports on 106 countries providing political and economic risk analysis.

 D.  Legal Information Databases:

Global Legal Information Network (GLIN)
Provides a database of laws, regulations, and other complementary legal sources. The documents included are contributed by the governments of the member nations of the GLIN from the original official texts.

LexisNexis Academic
Accesses over a billion full text news, magazine, legal, and business articles and reports, including newspapers, magazines and government documents, state and federal laws and regulations, case law, newsletters, company and industry information.

For further assistance, contact:

Ken Frankel, MLIS (frankel@fau.edu)
Library Reference Dept. (297-0079)