Politics and International Relations
Welcome to the Politics and International Relations subject guide - your guide to using the library resources, services and facilities for your subject.
Research a topic
A major part of your learning at university is doing your own research for assignments, projects, your dissertation, etc. This means you need to be able to do a comprehensive search for books, journal articles, and other sources relevant to a specific topic that provide a base of knowledge, help you explore a topic and allow you to form your own ideas and opinions on the topic. This is often referred to as literature searching.
On this page we have gathered together a range of online resources that allow you to do this kind of searching and help you do better research.
For more guidance on literature searching see our Literature Searching guide.
Finding scholarly literature
Use these databases to search for scholarly literature e.g. journal articles, book chapters & reviews, conference reports and proceedings, etc., for your subject area.
More databases for
Newspapers
Use these key databases to search for and access current full-text newspaper and news sources articles, including both UK and international titles.
- Factiva Please note that whilst Factiva can be used for academic research it is read only, bulk downloading and/or analytics of the content is restricted by the database provider. Permitted users are limited to download what can be reasonably read in one day. Excessive downloading may result in your access and the access of other University users being restricted. For more information see the Factiva User Guide - https://proquest.libguides.com/factiva.
Official documents
Use these databases to locate or view official documents e.g. government publications, parliamentary papers, government documents, transcripts, speeches, etc.
- British Labour Party Papers, 1906-1969 This link opens in a new window The Parliamentary Labour Party is the organisation of Labour members of Parliament (MPs) founded in 1906. These papers cover that foundation; then follow the Party through Ramsay MacDonald's Governments, two world wars, the first Harold Wilson Government and the early part of his second Government. The events in these records are a reflection of current events as much as of the Party itself. From the suffrage campaign for the electoral enfranchisement of women, to nuclear tests over the Pacific Ocean, through the Beveridge Report, the Trade Union Bill and the development of the United Nations.
- British Labour Party Papers, 1968-1994 This link opens in a new window The Parliamentary Labour Party is the organisation of Labour members of Parliament (MPs) founded in 1906. Included in this collection are all the minutes of the Party Meetings, the Liaison Committee and the Parliamentary Committee (Shadow Cabinet) for the period 1968-1994. This period represents a turbulent one in British politics, during the early part of which Labour were twice in power. It begins with the latter half of a Labour government under Harold Wilson and ends during the period of Margaret Beckett’s caretaker leadership after the death of John Smith. It covers the three-day week, becoming members of the EEC, the Margaret Thatcher years, including the Falklands War and the miners’ strike, the sift to New Realism and the progress to the top of Tony Blair.
- Churchill Archive This link opens in a new window Until recently the only way to access this historical resource was to visit the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge, now researchers can browse the nearly 800,000 private letters, speeches, telegrams, manuscripts, government transcripts and other key historical documents within the archive. Search the Churchill catalogue online, browse by topic and period and explore the people and places which appear in the archive.
- Congressional Record (basic) This link opens in a new window ProQuest Congressional is a comprehensive online collection of primary source congressional publications and legislative research materials covering all topics, including government, current events, politics, economics, business, science and technology, international relations, social issues, finance, insurance, and medicine. Finding aid for congressional hearings, committee prints, committee reports and documents from 1970-present, and the daily Congressional Record from 1985-present. Compiled legislative histories from 1969-present.
- Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) This link opens in a new window This resource consists of expertly curated, and meticulously indexed, declassified government documents covering U.S. policy toward critical world events – including their military, intelligence, diplomatic and human rights dimensions – from 1945 to the present. Each collection is assembled by foreign policy experts and features chronologies, glossaries, bibliographies, and scholarly overviews to provide unparalleled access to the defining international issues of our time.
- Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980 This link opens in a new window Foreign Office Files for China provides access to the digitised archive of British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980. The complete files consist of six parts: 1919−1929: Kuomingtang, CCP and the Third International; 1930−1937: The Long March, Civil War in China and the Manchurian Crisis; 1938-1948: Open Door, Japanese war and the seeds of communist victory; 1949-1956: The Communist revolution; 1957-1966: The Great Leap Forward; 1967-1980: The Cultural Revolution. The formerly restricted British government documents include diplomatic dispatches, letters, newspaper cuttings, maps, reports of court cases, biographies of leading personalities, summaries of events and other diverse materials. More information on this resource can be found at http://www.archivesdirect.amdigital.co.uk/FO_China/Introduction
- House of Commons Parliamentary Papers This link opens in a new window The 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Century House of Commons Parliamentary Papers contains bibliographic records and searchable full text for papers printed between 1688-2014. It also includes Hansard 1803-2005. The collection does not include the House of Commons Journal, or daily business papers, such as Order papers and Votes and Proceedings, nor does it include Acts. Also known as U.K. Parliamentary Papers.
- House of Lords Parliamentary Papers (1800-1910) This link opens in a new window The House of Lords Parliamentary Papers (1800-1910) is an essential research resource that, along with the existing House of Commons Parliamentary Papers database, provides a complete picture of the working and influence of the UK Parliament during the pivotal 19th century. As the working documents of government, the papers encompass wide areas of social, political, economic and foreign policy, and many contributors were found outside the official world – providing evidence to committees and commissions during a time when the Lords still wielded considerable power. The Library already has access to the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers and the two databases are cross-searchable.
- Independent Labour Party Records, 1893-1960 This link opens in a new window The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British left-wing political party founded in 1893. The ILP was affiliated with the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932. This collection contains minute books, annual reports, committee reports, conference resolutions, and weekly notes for speakers from the party's archive. These documents cover a wide range of subjects, from questions of war and peace to housing and trade unionism. They provide an excellent insight into the early years of the Labour movement in Britain.
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO): British Politics and Society This link opens in a new window The British Politics and Society archive of NCCO is packed with primary source documentation that enhances a greater understanding and analysis of the development of urban centers and of the major restructuring of society that took place during the Industrial Revolution. The archive is composed of a number of individual collections, drawn together from a variety of sources.
TV, film and radio
Use these databases to search for and view TV news programmes, documentaries, interviews, films, etc.
- Box of Broadcasts (BoB) For access on and off-campus click the Sign In button, type University of Edinburgh in the 'Where are you from?' box and log in with EASE. The first time you log in you may be asked for your University email address.
Using DiscoverEd to find scholarly literature
As well as searching the Library's physical and local collections i.e. books, e-books, journals, etc., DiscoverEd is also searching a wide range of the e-journals and databases the Library has access to so it's easy to find scholarly literature. DiscoverEd is always a good place to start your searching.
Using Google Scholar to find scholarly literature
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Like DiscoverEd, Google Scholar can be a good place to start your search but it does not allow for advanced or complex searching as in the databases.
Google Scholar may not provide access to full-text, however, by linking to the Library you can access full-text where there is a University subscription.
- Select Settings from the top of the Google Scholar Home Page
- Select Library Links
- Search for University of Edinburgh. Select it from the list and Save your settings
You will now see FindIt@Edinburgh links next to items in your Google Scholar results that you can use to access the full-text.
This short video below demonstrates how to do this.
Databases for other subject areas
The academic field of Politics and International Relations crosses over with a number of other disciplines. Depending on your research area it may be worthwhile looking at the databases available in other subject areas e.g.
See a full list of subjects and their recommended databases at: