EconLit Tips
EconLit is the main index to Economics journal literature and is created by the American Economic Association. A search in this database of citations allows you to search across the contents of 100s of journals at once.
Guidance for searching EconLit
Tips for making the most of your search in this key index of Economic scholarly literature.
Some of the JEL subject descriptors of particular use to this seminar are:
- C-Mathematical and Quantitative Methods
- H-Public Economics
- K-Law and Economics
- O-Economic Development
- Q-Environmental and Ecological Economics
Remember that both searching and browsing are worthwhile strategies. Spend some time with keywords and some time browsing the contents of specific journals or articles assigned specific subject headings.
Finding Survey Articles or Review Articles in EconLit
Finding published reviews of the literature can save you a great deal of time when working on your own literature review as well as when you are trying to find empirical or theoretical literature (because the prose of the review article will make clear the type of contribution made by each article).
You can use EconLit to find survey articles.
Use one line of your search to find the following, setting the drop-down to Abstract
(review NEAR/3 literature) OR ("survey of the literature")
Doing so might look like this:
