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Political science, as an intellectual discipline, reflects the methodological controversies that have divided the field. The traditional approach, favoring history and theory, was dominant until World War II. During the 1950's and 1960's, the behavioral approach, which is concerned with the political behavior of individuals and groups and a “value‐free” political analysis, divided the discipline. The current trend is toward an amalgamation of these two approaches with insistence upon relevant research that is related to values and ethical standards.

How do political scientists communicate their ideas? Where are political theories or research results evaluated? Can one trace research on a given topic?

The various indexes published by the H.W. Wilson Company are now helping a fourth generation of library users to find articles in hundreds of periodicals and journals. One Wilson index in particular, the Social Sciences Index (SSI), has undergone major revamping in recent years. It was originally called the International Index (1907–1965). In April, 1965 it became the Social Sciences and Humanities Index; then in April, 1974 it split to form separate indexes for each area, simultaneously expanding the scope of coverage of both parts.

According to statistical reports, most of the national electorate is not sufficiently interested in politics to bother voting for candidates for public office. This indifference is not shared by many authors. More than 50 book titles in the 1981–82 Books in Print (New York, Bowker, 1981) have the words “Politics of …” followed by the subject of the book. Some are concerned with the politics of large issues such as war, peace, energy, human rights, justice, oil, technology, the media, Euroeconomics, or international air transportation. Other authors deal with more personal concerns such as the politics of alcoholism, drugs, Medicare, mental health, motherhood, language development, self‐sufficiency, or education. These titles indicate the control exercised by government in many different areas of life. Until a law, statute, ordinance, ruling, or regulation effects an individual, there is relatively little interest or concern with the actions of elected officials, or the agencies implementing these decisions.

The effect of government on our lives is evident when we read newspapers or magazines, watch television or listen to the radio. At the international, national, and local level, decisions are made which ultimately affect many people. To understand the way governments work, political scientists study the principles, processes, and structures of government as well as the political institutions that have developed. This entails a broad range of interests because of the multiplicity and complexity of relations among governments at all levels.

Mathematical analysis with its formulas and models is being used in many of the social sciences, including political science; with the result that scholarly journal articles often require special knowledge to interpret their meaning. Although not all social scientists subscribe to these methods and frequently, letters to the editor decry the use of symbols instead of prose to explain human behavior, the search continues for precise mathematical models that provide a basis for interpreting and predicting political situations.

This column has always intended to provide indepth, comparative reviews of abstracting services, indexes, serial bibliographies, yearbooks, directories, almanacs and other serial tools which would normally be housed in reference departments. For the purposes of this column, reference serials are materials which must meet two rather flexible requirements: they must be useful as reference sources and they must be issued as serials or be titles which are superseded periodically by new editions.

“Reference Serials” began in Reference Services Review, April‐June 1974 and last appeared in RSR, October‐December 1974. It was transferred to Serials Review with the inaugural double issue of SR, January‐June 1975, and appeared there through SR, October‐December 1978. With this issue it returns to RSR because the editors determined, after much examination, that this is where it belongs.

This column has always intended to provide in‐depth, comparative reviews of abstracting services, indexes, serial bibliographies, yearbooks, directories, almanacs and other serial tools which would normally be housed in reference departments. For the purposes of this column, reference serials are materials which must meet two rather flexible requirements: they must be useful as reference sources and they must be issued as serials or be titles which are superseded periodically by new editions.

This column has always intended to provide in‐depth, comparative reviews of abstracting services, indexes, serial bibliographies, yearbooks, directories, almanacs and other serial tools which would normally be housed in reference departments. For the purposes of this column, reference serials are materials which must meet two rather flexible requirements: they must be useful as reference sources and they must be issued as serials or be titles which are superseded periodically by new editions.