Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Citation Styles

For further research assistance, please contact the Reference Department at Portland (780-4272), Gorham (780-5344), or Lewiston (753-6540), or use our online Ask A Librarian service.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

The following is a listing of selected subject headings relating to Country Research:

To obtain materials not located at your USM, but still within URSUS, you will need to click on the Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card, which begins with 25022....). Your barcode will need to be activated at the Circulation Desk.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or MaineCat you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

Annuals

These books provide brief but useful and factual reports on the countries of the world.

The Europa World Year Book
POR REF JN 1 E85 2004
(1989+ in stacks; GOR & LEW Reference also hold recent, but not latest, editions)

The CIA World Factbook
POR REF JA 51 W675 2004

Political Handbook of the World
POR REF REF JF 37 P6 2000-02
(1946+ in stacks)

The Statesman's Yearbook
POR & GOR REF JA 51 S7 2005
(1904+ in stacks)

Statistical Yearbook (from the United Nations)
POR REF HA 12.5 U63 2000
(1990+ in stacks)

Yearbook of the United Nations
POR REF JX 1977 A37 Y4
(1947+ in stacks)

Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia of World Cultures
GOR REF GN 307 E53

The Encyclopedia of the Third World
POR & LEW HC 59.7 K87

Ethnic Cultures of the World
GOR REF GN 495.4 P37

Atlases

MacMillan Centennial Atlas of the World
POR REF G 1021 M213

Goode's World Atlas
GOR G 1021 G6

Other Resources

Guide to Country Information in International Governmental Organization Publications
POR REF HN 25 A12 G85 1996

International Government Information and Country Information : A Subject Guide
POR & LEW ZA 5050 M67 2004

Because of the lengthy publishing cycle for a book, information in a book is not always current. Periodical articles are current sources of information. There are two main types of periodicals: scholarly and popular. Scholarly periodicals are usually referred to as journals. Articles in journals contain reports of primary research; the articles are written by experts in the field and for other researchers/scholars; use terms and language specific to that discipline; may include graphs, charts, etc. related to the topic; most often are peer reviewed via an editorial board; are published by professional organization or society, university, research centers, scholarly presses; and often include a bibliography. Popular periodical articles contain general information; are written using easily understood language that appeals to a varied audience; are usually written by journalists or others who are not experts in the field; do not include citations; has a limited or non-existent editorial review board; and may contain glossy photographs. The Finding Articles tutorial provides more information on how to find articles.

Searching for articles on your country of choice will mean using one of our numerous online indexes, which allows access to many academic journals, newspapers, and popular magazines.  A list of these indexes can be found at Indexes & Databases.  Here are few that might be helpful for country and culture research.  Search methods differ from one to another, so if you are not sure how to proceed, ask for help.

Academic Search Premier
You might want to click on the SUBJECT tab at the top of the screen, type in your country name in the "Browse for" box, then click on "explore subdivisions."  This will give you a helpful list of related topics.The database provides access to the complete text of many (but not all) the articles listed.

Acess UN
Index to United Nations documents and publications. Provides full-text access to publications of the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council.

Avalon Project
Contains digital documents relevant to the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government.

Business Source Premier
Use this resource for gathering information concerning business, trade, and finance.

Contempary Women's Issues
Contemporary Women's Issues (CWI) is a multidisciplinary, full-text database that brings together relevant content from mainstream periodicals, gray literature, and the alternative press -- with a focus on the critical issues and events that influence women's lives in more than 190 countries. Contemporary Women's Issues includes English-language titles from East and West Africa, Asia, and South and Central America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe. Updated weekly.

Historical Abstracts
This database indexes articles from academic history journals (abstracts only, NO full text).  Go to "Advanced Search," then type in the name of your country in the SUBJECT field, and combine this with a more specific KEYWORD (such as, politics, population, government, industry, etc.).

PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service)
Indexing articles, books, conference proceedings, and government documents concerning global policy and social issues. Accessible only from on-campus computers.

ProQuest Newspapers
Use this index when you're looking for recent newspaper articles on your country of choice.  It provides full text access to many major American newspapers, including the New York Times and Washington Post.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
This database focuses on political science, international relations, law, and government.

Requesting an Article

But what if you find an abstract for what seems the perfect article, but the full text is not available through our databases?  In that case, your first step should be to find out if perhaps the journal in which it was published is held at the USM libraries. Do this by checking in URSUS for the title of the journal. You may find that the USM library subscribes to the print edition of the journal.

But if this is not the case, the next step is to make use of our Interlibrary Loan service (ILLIAD), which will retrieve a copy of the article you need. Make sure you have all the necessary information, such as the title and author, the name of the journal, volume, issue number, and page numbers.  Again, be sure to Ask a Librarian if you need help.

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage.

Country Studies
"The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors." [Also found in paper format: POR Gov Doc D 101.22]

State Department Background Notes
POR Gov Doc S 1.123
"Background Notes are factual publications that contain information on all the countries of the world with which the United States has relations. They include facts on the country's land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and its relations with other countries and the United States."
[Also found in paper format: POR Gov Doc D 101.22]

CIA World Factbook
"The World Factbook is prepared annually by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of US Government officials.  The style, format, coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific requirements."

Human Development Report
"The Human Development Report is an independent report. It is commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is the product of a selected team of leading scholars, development practitioners and members of the Human Development Report Office of UNDP."

Portals to the World
Library of Congress "links to electronic resources from around the world."

International Database (from US Census Bureau)
"The International Data Base (IDB) is a computerized source of demographic and socioeconomic statistics for 227 countries and areas of the world.  The IDB provides quick access to specialized information, with emphasis on demographic measures, for individual countries or selected groups of countries. of the world."

Country Commercial Guides
Valuable resource for market research, trade data, and business plans on a country by country basis. Requires registration to access data. Ask for help at Reference Desk.

Country Briefings
From the journal, The Economist.  Each country profile includes a factsheet, a political and economic forecast, economic data, and a description of the political structure, political forces, and economic structure of the country.

CountryWatch.com
"CountryWatch is a world leader in providing country specific geopolitical intelligence on each of the 192 countries of the world. Select a country from the drop-down menu above or from the regional menu on the left to sample our information."

Area Studies Page from the NYPL
Useful links, organized by region.

United Nations

World Bank

Europa - The European Union Online

Organization of American States

Governments on the WWW

Foreign Government Resources on the Web (Univ. of Michigan)

Websites of National Parliaments (Washington University)

Map & Atlas Sites

Atlapedia Online

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

Citing your sources is very important, and not as difficult as it may seem. Not to do so is not only an indication of sloppy research practices, but it is also plagiarism. The following websites can help you understand the proper citation format for your paper.

USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed document, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Endnote Help for further information.

Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement

Citing Online Sources

Citing Sources Within Your Paper

Assembling Your Works Cited List

Style Sheets for Citing Resources (UC Berkeley)

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism Examples (Indiana University School of Education)