Library & On-Line Resources

Once you have narrowed your topic, for your literature review you should read widely. One approach is to find the most recent publication on your topic and then look up its references to earlier books and journal articles. A more systematic approach is consulting the various indexes on the economics literature. Many indexes are now available on the Library’s web site.

Remember depending on your topic, your may also wish to consult some of the other library guides, and the handouts for other subjects such as Political Science, etc.

In addition, you may be able to identify a few journals that are especially relevant to your topic. Browsing through recent issues may be an efficient way to locate useful articles.

In your research you should avoid relying on sources like encyclopedias, popular magazines (like Newsweek or Time) and most newspaper articles, except when these sources contain original material or facts not available from other sources.

Bill Goffe’s Resources on the Internet for Economists is a good place to start looking for sources. It has many links to other sites.