LEO: Political Science: Online Sources--Documents & Data

Federal Government Documents Online

Federal Digital System (FDsys)
Through FDsys, the Government Printing Office provides free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. Use it to search and browse for government publications, including bills, congressional hearings and reports, the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, the U.S. Code, U.S. Court Opinions, and more.
govinfo.gov
This is a new beta site that will eventually replace FDsys. It is intended to be a more modern, Google-like search experience.
U.S. Census Bureau
Serves as leading source of data about the nation's people and economy. Conducts population & housing census every 10 years, economic census every 5 years, census of governments every 5 years, annual community survey, economic indicators reports, and other reports.

Subscription Sources

CQ Almanac
The primary source for coverage and analysis of U.S. Congressional legislation from 1945 to today. CQ Almanac is renowned for its in-depth analysis of the path legislation takes through Congress, including how bills get changed, are derailed, or ultimately get passed during an annual session of Congress.
EBSCO eBook Collection
Full-text online collection includes government documents and books and writings on politics. Use the Browse by Subject menu on the left side of the screen to view materials by topic; the Law and Political Science categories will probably be most useful to you.

U.S. Federal Government Websites

Congress.gov
Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Printing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service.
SupremeCourt.gov
The official website for the Supreme Court of the United States. Includes court documents, including dockets, oral arguments, merits briefs, and opinions. Also includes biographical information for current Justices and historical information about the court and past Justices.
Whitehouse.gov
Official website of the current president's administration. Includes news and information about the president's current activities, the cabinet, and executive branch operations. Includes the president's viewpoints on current political issues; because whitehouse.gov is always maintained by the current president's administration, the information on the site reflects the political opinions of the current president. Also includes information about the history of the White House and past presidents and first ladies.
RegInfo.gov
RegInfo.gov is a United States Government website produced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA). Reginfo.gov provides reliable, transparent information about regulations under development to enable the public to participate effectively in the regulatory process.

Historic Documents

American Presidency Project
Includes over 100,000 documents related to the Presidency, including State of the Union addresses, executive orders, proclamations, press conferences, radio addresses, veto messages, addresses to the nation, party platforms, and election debates.
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1875
Contains published congressional records of the United States of America from 1774-1875.
ConSource: The Constitutional Sources Project
This is an in-progress collection of documents related to the history of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. National Archives
The National Archives preserves federal records that have continued value (around 2 to 5 percent of the records produced each year). These records are located in Washington, D.C. and at regional archives facilities, and some are available online.

Evaluating Online Information

In the course of your research, you may find other sites on political science topics, as well as sites that claim to be sources of government information. Here are some things to consider when evaluating whether the information you find is credible.

1. Authority--Who created the site/content? What expertise do they have in the topic? Check the URL; most government sites will have the domain ".gov".

2. Objectivity--What is the purpose of the site/content (an "About" page can help determine this)? Does it present any bias toward the topic? Does it support a certain political party or point of view on a particular issue?

3. Accuracy--How does the information correspond to what you already know about the topic? Are sourced cited, and are they reliable?

4. Currency--When was the page created, and when was it last updated?