LibGuides: Global Policy Analysis Research Methods: Research Resources for Graduate Students

Research Resources for Students

This section includes several research support resources you have access to as an Illinois student. Some are available at or through the library while others are located throughout campus. For remote students, this section notes if the service is available remotely.

Savvy Researcher Workshop Series
Semesterly workshops on a wide variety of advanced research and information management topics. These workshops often include research methods relevant to Global Studies students including Qualitative Data Analysis software, GIS, and AI/Large Language Models. Most are available on Zoom and in-person.
Government Information Services
Our library holds a wealth of physical and virtual government information collections from local and state data to national and international documents. Often of interest to Global Studies students, schedule a research consultation with our Government Information librarian through this link either in-person or on Zoom.
Research Data Service
RDS is a campus-wide program that provides the Illinois research community with the expertise, tools, and infrastructure necessary to manage and steward research data. They can help graduate students keep their data organized and safe throughout their time at UIUC and beyond. Most services can be available either in-person or online, and their self-guided workshop is freely available online.
List of Subject Specialist Librarians
The University Library has a wide array of subject specialists-- librarians who focus closely on one or two research areas. We recognize that Global Studies students have a wide array of experiences and research interests, so search this list to find relevant librarians to your topic area whether its history, sociology, nuclear physics, and everything in between! Most are open to in-person and online consultations.
Scholarly Commons Consultations
The Scholarly Commons at the library has a wide range of software available for use, loan, and more. Students can schedule a consultation with library experts for tutorials and research aid, particularly for R, GIS, and other data analysis software. Consultations can be scheduled in-person or online.

Presentation and Communication Resources

This section contains helpful resources for communicating, sharing, and publicizing your research in various avenues, particularly those that are relevant to the practice of policy analysis.

Policy Brief Writing Guide (UNC Writing Center)
This guide from the UNC Writing Center walks through the major elements, strategies, tips, and more for writing policy briefs.
Web-Based Policy Brief Training Package
Collated by the World Health Organization, this site contains several free and some paid trainings, workshops, resources, and websites related to writing policy briefs. Highlights include a free online course on evidence-based policy writing, advanced workshops of brief writing, and international brief resources specific to Latin America, the UK, and Europe.
Research Poster LibGuide
This UIUC LibGuide is a step-by-step walkthrough of designing an effective research poster. It also goes over Illinois-specific resources for research posters such as printing and approved logos.
Writers Workshop
The UIUC Writers Workshop provides support to all writers on campus. They offer various services such as writing groups, writing-related presentations, and writing consultations where we provide feedback on essays, research papers, personal statements, cover letters, theses and dissertations, manuscripts for publication, presentations, digital compositions, and anything between and beyond.
Speakers Workshop
This free UIUC resource a slate of resources to help students present more effectively, authentically, and confidently for all kinds of presentations. Their services include individual consultations, workshops, and class visits.