Research Guides: COMM 330: Argumentation and Public Policy: Find a Policy to Analyze

Find a Policy or Statement to Analyze

You might come across a policy or statement (or a reference to one) in the news or on social media. But you can also search the websites and databases below, especially if you're looking for something that addresses a particular issue.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context (Gale)
Covers complex, controversial social issues with topic overviews and pro/con viewpoints. Sources include news, journal articles, magazines, multimedia, maps, websites and statistics.
U.S. Presidential Actions
Actions and executive orders from the current administration as published on whitehouse.gov. Briefings & Statements may also be useful.
Legislative Insight (ProQuest)
Search full-text publications created by Congress during the process leading up to the enactment of U.S. public laws. Documents include bills (all versions), legislative reports, CRS reports, committee prints, speeches in the Congressional Record and presidential signing statements.
Congressional Publications (ProQuest)
Access to the full text of U.S. congressional publications. Includes hearings, legislative histories, committee prints and reports, House and Senate documents, Congressional Record, Serial Set, CRS Reports, bills, public laws, regulations, Congressional hearings, public issues, legislation, history, and legal research.
Congressional Research Services (CRS) Reports
This collection provides the public with access to research products produced by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for the United States Congress. Also included in Congressional Publications database.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with non-partisan, fact-based information to help the government save money and work more efficiently.
Maryland Legislative Agenda & Budget
Priorities and strategic highlights from the office of Governor Wes Moore
PAIS Index (ProQuest)
Research international policy and issues of public debate through selective coverage of a wide variety of sources including journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more. PAIS International is the current file covering 1972 to present, and PAIS Archive includes the content from printed volumes published 1915-1976.
Even more databases
Explore more library databases by subject area, including public policy and government and politics.

Google Search

Google Search
Looking for public policy statements from outside the U.S., or from local U.S governments like cities and counties? Use Google search to find statements and announcements on official government websites.

For example, a search for brazil government statements brings up the Brazilian government's official website (pages include gov.br in the URL), which features presidential policy statements and interviews. Remember that any language translation may impact your interpretation of the argument!

Google Search Tips

Search within one website

Type site:[URL] keywords to search within one website.
Example: site:cjr.org FOIA searches just content about the Freedom of Information Act on the Columbia Journalism Review website.

Search within one type of website

Type site:[.domain] keywords to search pages within one type of website.
Example: site:.gov FOIA searches just content about the Freedom of Information Act from U.S. government websites.

Find exact words/phrases

Add quotation marks around words and phrases to search for those words exactly, so Google doesn't look for related terms, too. Especially useful for names, source titles, and quotes.

Remove certain results from your search

Add a hyphen/minus sign (-) before keywords you want to eliminate from your results.
Example: "ocean city" -"new jersey" -"NJ" brings back content about Ocean City, Maryland, but nothing about Ocean City, New Jersey.

Even more Advanced Search tips

On the Google Search homepage, go to Settings > Advanced to access even more settings, including language, file type, and date last updated. Read more search tips.