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CJ 315: Research Methods

Government information is readily available from multiple platforms. There are so many options now, that it can be overwhelming getting started. If you know specifically which agency you need information from, then accessing that site directly is a great option. However, if you would like a more robust search, try using one of the search tools below. Most information can be found by searching on GovInfo or USA.gov.  Selected older materials may be found by searching the MU Catalog. See here for instructions. 

Discover U.S. Government Information

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What can you find on GovInfo?

  • Legislative, Executive, and Judicial content:
    • Bills and Statutes, congressional committee materials, and proceedings of Congress
    • Presidential and regulatory materials
    • Opinions from more than 100 U.S. courts
    • Supreme Court Decisions issued between 1937 and 1975
  • New content daily- Congressional Record, Federal Register, House and Senate Calendars
  • Multiple file formats- PDF documents, audio, photos, XML
  • Curated collections- Nancy Reagan tribute, documents related to the sinking of the Titanic
  • Digitized historical content- oldest dates back to 1793
  • High-profile publications- 9-11 Report, Post JFK Assassination Audio, Warren Commission Report and Hearings, Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, Nixon’s Watergate Grand Jury Testimony, and landmark legislation: Civil Rights Act and Obamacare

Search Every U.S. Government Website

USA.gov searches only federal, state, and local government websites for the public. Its search box works like other search engines you're used to, but USA.gov only returns results from government web pages, most ending in .gov or .mil. This helps you be sure you’re getting official information you can trust--and there’s no advertising.

Busque por tema

Navegue los cientos de artículos que USAGov en Español le ofrece sobre los programas y servicios gubernamentales populares. Los artículos están organizados por tema

Busque en cada sitio web del Gobierno de Estados Unidos

USAGov en Español solo busca en sitios web del Gobierno federal y de los gobiernos estatales y locales para el público. Su caja de búsqueda funciona como otros motores de búsqueda que usted conoce, pero USAGov en Español le mostrará solo enlaces que pertenecen o están auspiciados por el Gobierno como los sitios .gov o .mil. Esto le asegura obtener información oficial confiable y sin publicidad.

Featured Databases

HeinOnline is accessible to the public on-site only and available both remotely and on-site for Monmouth University students and faculty.

Included in HeinOnline are: U.S. Code, Congressional Documents, Federal Agency Documents, Presidential Impeachment Library, Federal Legislative History Library, Presidential Library, U.S. Statues at Large, U.S. Supreme Court Library, U.S. Treaties and Agreements Library, Slavery in America and the World, Pentagon Paper, John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection, Code of Federal Regulations, and many more.

 

WestLaw is accessible to the public on-site only and available both remotely and on-site for Monmouth University students and faculty.

Westlaw contains cases, statutes, court rules, regulations, administrative decisions, legislations, and briefs for both Federal and State courts.

EBSCO is accessible to the public on-site only and available both remotely and on-site for Monmouth University students and faculty.

Designed to offer current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government, this database offers a thorough collection of periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the increasing needs of those sites. 

CQ is accessible to the public on-site only and available both remotely and on-site for Monmouth University students and faculty.

Search or browse for biographical and voting data for members of Congress, legislative information organized by topic, key votes, legislative analysis, interest group scores of members, and Supreme Court case summaries relating to the structure and powers of Congress.

NexisUni is accessible to the public on-site only and available both remotely and on-site for Monmouth University students and faculty.

Comprehensive source for current news (international, national and regional), legal research (cases and statutes, law reviews, news), business research (news, company information), medical information (news, journal articles, Medline abstracts) and basic reference tools.

Find U.S. Supreme Court Opinions

Search the most recent opinions of the Court on this site. The opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States are published officially in a set of case books called the United States Reports. This site has access to opinions from 1991-current. 

To find additional U.S. Supreme Court decisions, try FindLaw's database of cases from 1760 to present. Supreme Court opinions are browsable by year and U.S. Reports volume number, and are searchable by party name, case title, citation, full text and docket number. 

Finding Open Data

Data.gov is the central clearinghouse for open data from the United States federal government and also provides access to many local government and non-federal open data resources. Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.

Hathi Trust - U.S. Federal Documents Collections

Homeland Security Digital Library

The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) is the nation’s premier collection of documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management. The HSDL is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security.

FedFlix

Find a Grave

Find Regulations