The next screen will contain a list of databases: Congressional Publications, Legislative Histories, Bills and Laws, Members and Committees, Regulations, Congressional Record and Rules, Political News and Hot topics.
Click on the link for the appropriate database.
Each database has its own custom search forms. The search forms provide the ability to search the databases by keyword or document number. They also allow the researcher to do basic or advanced searches in the Congressional Publications database.
Basic: Use this form to find congressional materials by searching abstracts, titles, indexing information and other bibliographic information. You can search by keyword or index terms and limit by year or congress number.
Advanced: This search method is more flexible than the Basic option. It allows you to use “connectors” and “fields”, which are shown in drop-down boxes. Connectors are used between words and phrases. Fields narrow the search in some way. You can also search within types of documents, i.e. House and Senate reports, hearings, etc. For more information on using this form and its features, scroll down to the “Help Toolbox” at the bottom of the page.
Search by Number and Get a Document: These forms allow you to retrieve documents by numbers relevant to documents in each database. For example, you can retrieve a House Report from the Congressional Publications database by putting in the House Report number 108-34. To retrieve a Legislative History you can put in a public law number 98-379, a statutes at large number 98 Stat.1331, or a bill number 107 H.R.1727.
Search Terms: Use search terms that relate to the important issues and facts involved in your research. Do not use a common word such as “law”. Think of unique terms or phrases that describe your topic. Combine words and phrases with connectors.
Connectors:
Phrase Searching: If you type two or more words in a search box without any connectors, ProQuest Congressional will treat your words as a phrase. Quotation marks are not needed.
Viewing the text of a document: If your search was successful, you will see a numbered list of documents found. Click on the name of the document you want to read to display its text.
Locating Your Search Terms: Click on the KWIC tab at the top of the screen to see only those parts of a document that contain one or more of your search terms. To switch back to the full-text, click on the Full tab at the top of the screen.
Print Preview: Go to the browser menu bar and click on File ? Print Preview. Look at the top of the page to determine the number of pages in your document.
Printing: Printing in the Law Library requires the creation of a print account. Please see the Printing and Copying Page for instructions on setting up a print account and printer locations. With your document onscreen, click on the Print icon located in the upper left hand portion of the page. Click on Continue on the next screen. In Internet Explorer, click on File ? Print. A print box will appear on screen. Click on OK if you want to print the whole document; if you only want some of the document, change the page range and click OK. Enter the User ID from the back of your Print Anywhere card when prompted to do so.
How to get to the Content Coverage Chart: For coverage information for specific databases, consult the Content Coverage Chart in the “Help Toolbox” at the bottom of each search page.
ASU Congressional Subscription Information: ASU owns the following ProQuest Congressional digital collections:
ASU does not own the following ProQuest Congressional digital collections but the information is available in other formats:
ProQuest Congressional allows you to access the full text of some publications dating back as far as the late eighteenth century. You can perform in-depth research in public policy, historical, and legal areas of interest. The basic subscription includes abstracts and indexing for congressional publications, legislative histories, member biographies, committee assignments, voting records, and financial data; and the full text of key regulatory and statutory resources.
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