UVM Libraries Research Guides: Political Science: Find Primary Sources and Legal Materials

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The best way to locate primary sources is to begin with secondary sources such as the CQ Almanac and CQ Weekly, articles, books, and quality web sites. Well researched political science materials will include references to government documents, legislation, court decisions and other legal materials.

Where to find Primary Sources and Legal Materials

Congress.gov
Congress.gov is a website for U.S. federal legislative information presented by the Library of Congress.

Congressional Record (1873-present) This link opens in a new window
Record of actions and debates from the floor of the United States Congress.
CQ Legislative Tracking This link opens in a new window
This resource provides comprehensive information on federal legislation. Bill profiles, debate and analysis are included. This resource also includes Congressional Research Service reports, committee reports, vote records, and video from the floor of the House of Representatives.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
This full-text resource contains articles from national/regional/international newspapers, magazines, journals, law reviews, and wire services; broadcast transcripts; U.S. federal and state case law, codes, and regulations; company financial reports; patents; and SEC filings.
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
This resource provides access to the full text and indexing for most congressional hearings, the Serial Set (House and Senate reports and documents), committee prints, the Congressional Record, and congressional bills (1789 to present).
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
This resource includes 370,205 full-text publications designated by the U.S. Congress for printing from 1817 - 1994, scanned from original print volumes of the Serial Set. Includes citation records for the Serial Set's 74,495 maps.

Vermont Legislature
The site for the Vermont Legislature provides links to proposed legislation, bill tracking, enacted legislation, statutes, and information on legislative committees.

Westlaw This link opens in a new window
This database helps locate legal materials, including law review articles, court decisions, statutes, and the American Jurisprudence legal encyclopedia. This resource also includes full-text news and business articles and company information.

UVM Libraries Government Information
This site has links to a wide array of U.S. Government, Vermont, Canadian, international, and map-related sites. U.S. Government Information is located on the ground floor of Howe Library.