PPOL 5770 - Public Policy Postgraduate Development : Types of Information Sources

Specialist Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

• Give good, authoritative overviews & reviews of topics in the area or field of study
• Library subscribed & online
• Written by scholars and experts
• Often provide useful references at end of articles
• Examples
  • Environmental Encyclopedia
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health
  • Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance
  • International Encyclopedia of Civil Society
  • The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs

Data and Statistics

"Raw" data  gives your material to make your own arguments, predictions, etc.

Allows you to make your own charts, etc.

MUST come from reputable sources

Example of Reference

China. National Bureau of Statistics. (2020).  CN: Population: No of Divorces: Guangdong, 1995-2018.  ID:4772901; SR Code: SR92530. [data file]. Retrieved from CDMNext Database, March 9, 2020.

Books & Handbooks

Books  provide good compiled information - concentrated, topical, lots of info

Examples:

• Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice
• 香港第二代南亞少數族裔 : 教育與就業生活經驗 = Second generation South Asia ethnic minorities in Hong Kong: experiences in education and employment  (e-book)

Handbooks provide summaries & outline basic ideas, issues, methods, anthologies, - good place to start

Examples: 

• Handbook of Aging, Health and Public Policy: Perspectives from Asia
• Handbook of Global Education Policy
• The Handbook of Public Administration
• International Handbook of Public Administration and Governance
• Oxford Handbook of Public Policy (H97 .O88 2006)
• The Routledge Handbook of Global Public Policy and Administration (e-book 2017)

Scholarly Journal Articles

• Cover in-depth research in a specialized subject area
   
• Written by academics, researchers or scholars. Qualifications or credentials of the authors usually appear near the names or in the footnote or end-note
   
• Contents are peer-reviewed (revised according to comments from subject experts in the field before publication)
   
• Structure of the article: Article title, authors and their qualifications and affiliations, abstract (article summary), research methodologies, conclusion and references
   
• Arguments, claims and conclusions supported by data and evidence.

• Sources consulted are listed in the end of paper references or bibliography section
• Example 
  • Bryson, J., Quick, K., Slotterback, C., & Crosby, B. (2013). Designing Public Participation Processes. Public Administration Review, 73(1), 23-34.

Some helpful videos (try one)

• How to Read a Scholarly article - video (2 min 34 sec)  by Western University
• How to Read a Scholarly Article -   video (5 min, 11 sec)  by  Kishwaukee College Library
• How to Read Academic Research - video (11 min 43 sec) by Russell James

 Review Article    (in a scholarly journal)

A published "literature review".

The author(s) brings together the published articles and books on the topic and summarizes & analyses the current state of knowledge.

What can you get from it?

• Names of major scholars working on the topic
• Current state of knowledge (when it was published)
• Identify research gaps
• List sources for you to go for further reading

 Government and NGO (non-government organizations) publications

Government documents present data, information, and analysis from government departments, with that perspective

• Information may be scattered among departments and bureaus (e.g. Hong Kong Census and Statistics Dept., The Hong Kong Transport Dept., etc.)
• Look for words in menu like "publications" "reports", or "documents"
• NGO documents data, information, and analysis comes from that organization, with that perpspective
  • Look for words in menu like "publications" "reports"
• Examples:
  • Innovation skills and leadership in Brazil's public sector: towards a senior civil service system (also on your Canvas site) - from OECD

  • Corruption-free climate finance: Protecting forests and people (Transparency International)

  • Public Opinion Survey on the Waste Dis-posal (Charging for Municipal Solid Waste) (Amendment) Bill 2018  (Civic Exchange)

 Policy Briefs / Policy Report

 A short document that presents findings and recommendations (often to policy makers), usually following a specific format to share evidence and recommendations.

• Policy Briefs & Testimonies / Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard)
• OECD Policy Briefs
• Student Authored Policy Briefs / Rebecca Kreitzer (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Policy Briefs
• United Nations University Collection - Policy Briefs

Liu, C. (2019). Hometown ties or spatial agglomeration of human capital : The selection of scientific elites in China..

Dissertation (Thesis)

• Reuqired for PhD or MPhil degree (new/young scholars)
• In-depth & detailed
• Often very focused
• Can be a "gold mine" if you're working on very detailed area
• Often not suitable for scholars new in the area (lower level UGs)
• Searchable in PowerSearch, Google, and other area
• Examples:
  • Liu, C. (2019). Hometown ties or spatial agglomeration of human capital : The selection of scientific elites in China. [Thesis, HKUST]