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A think tank or policy institute is a research institute which performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Although many think tanks claim to be neutral, some may be considered to have a more conservative or a more liberal agenda. For example, the Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank and the Heritage Foundation is considered to be conservative. Be sure to examine the "About the Organization" page, in addition to outside sources to investigate the organization's agenda and their political views.
Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and global economy and development.
he Urban Institute is a Washington D.C.-based think tank that carries out economic and social policy research to "open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions."
RAND's research and analysis address issues that impact people around the world including security, health, education, sustainability, growth, and development.
New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a non-partisan think tank in the United States. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, education, and the economy.
"Mathematica Policy Research is a pioneering nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving public well-being."
MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization based in New York City and Oakland, CA.
"The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer equality."
"The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities."
"The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing policy solutions for low-income people."
"The Social Work Policy Institute examines issues that relate to the work of social workers, including how to serve people who have multiple or complex needs and how public agencies and other structures deliver health and human services."
An international policy institute, the CSIS focuses on a number of topics including defense and security, governance, technology and global trends.
You can use Google to find statistics published by federal, state, and local agencies by adding site:.gov to your keywords, such as:
This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new windowWhat is RefWorks?
RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic software package that enables you to:
"New" RefWorks Instructions
This link opens in a new windowRefWorks is a web-based bibliographic software package that enables you to:
One of the easiest ways to find government information is via Google: After you type in your keywords, then type: site:.gov
This will narrow your search to only federal, state, and local government resources.
For example, you could try the following keyword searches:
This link opens in a new windowUse this guide for information on how to search in the Congressional interface, and for links to information on the digital collections.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a division of the Library of Congress. They produce analytical, non-partisan reports on topics of interest to members of Congress. In 2018 they stood up a public website for dissemination of their more recent reports, and there are a number of free and subscription sites where you can find current and older CRS reports. You can also request copies from your Congressional Representative.
This link opens in a new windowWhat is a white paper?
A white paper is a document used to inform readers on a particular topic/issue with the intention of using authoritative knowledge and research to argue for a specific solution.
Standard format of a white paper
An annotated white paper that describes how to write a white paper.
This guide defines white papers and explains the most common types.
This guide will help you organize elements of a white paper and remind you of considerations about your white paper's audience.
Finding White Papers & Policy Briefs: Below are some resources to find a variety of white papers & policy briefs:
For Google, I searched: "white paper" and "college readiness" and tried "white paper" and "college readiness" site:.gov (to limit my search to only government resources)--and limited it to the last 5 years
On Google Scholar, I searched "white paper" and "college readiness" and limited it to the last 5 years (See below for examples)
