U.S. Government Research Guide: Research
Guide to resources for locating government information.
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides exclusive policy and legal analysis to the U.S. Congress. Their research is not available directly to the general public but non-confidential reports may be obtained by request through Congressional members. Some reports are made available through the the following organizations:
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Congressional (ProQuest)Indexes proposed laws, legislative histories and regulations; with full text and a directory of Congress. Includes access to CRS Reports. Formerly known as LexisNexis Congressional.
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National Agricultural Law CenterOffers a selection of Congressional Research Service reports related to agriculture.
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University of Maryland School of LawAn online CRS archive collection in the subject areas of Homeland Security/Terrorism and Health Law and Policy from 1993 – 2013.
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Federation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to provide science-based analysis of and solutions to protect against catastrophic threats to national and international security. FAS is a non-profit membership organization, with members from the academic, non-profit and government communities.
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UNT Digital LibrarySearch functionality and acess to CRS reports are made available as a public service by the Government Documents Department at the University of North Texas Libraries
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Guide to CRS Reports on the Web. LLRXHistorically (pre-Web), it was much more difficult to locate let alone identify the existence of CRS reports. This site explains how access has improved over the past 25 years with search tips and suggestions.
Government Research Gateways
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Congressional Budget OfficeIn its role examining the President’s budget, publishes analytical studies highlighting critical issues.
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Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)Department of Defense and government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information covering over 250 subject areas.
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Government Accountability Office (GAO)GAO, a.k.a. the “congressional watchdog,” is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. GAO issues reports, testimonies, correspondence, and legal decisions and opinions. These publications frequently recommend corrections to problems in government programs and operations and identify long-term trends. Dates covered: 1971 - present
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Science.govGateway to government science information and research results aggregated across 17 U.S. Government science organizations covering more than 55 databases, 2100 scientific websites, and over 200 million pages of science information.
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Data.govProvides descriptions of U.S., State and some municipal datasets (metadata) and information about how to access and download statistical and data sets from open governmental sources.
Government Statistics
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Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (ProQuest)A comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Printed volumes available in Reference at Lincoln Park and Loop at R.317.3 U58S.
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Historical Statistics of the United StatesMillennial edition, fully updated and revised from previous 1976 edition. Extensive and easy to use. Excellent source for immigration and population data.
Dates Covered: 1790-2000.
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Government Statistics: Popular Starting PointsPrepared by the Government Information Services at Vanderbilt University