Using LexisNexis Congressional
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LexisNexis® Congressional allows you to explore Congress in action with the most comprehensive online resource available for congressional publications and legislative research. The page below describes the individual digital collections within LexisNexis Congressional. To access topical research guides and other articles on Congressional on this wiki, please click here.
If your institution has access to the optional collections (the U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection, the Congressional Research Digital Collection retrospective collection, one or both of the Congressional Hearings Digital Collection retrospective collections, or one or both of the Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection retrospective collections), you will be able to access the full text of publications dating back as far as the late eighteenth century. The basic subscription provides all users with access to the full text of selected publications, in some cases dating back 25 years or more. More ...
[edit] Content
[edit] Types of Publications
LexisNexis® Congressional provides the user with access to a comprehensive collection of congressional publications:
- Committee Hearings
- Committee Prints
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
- House and Senate Documents
- House and Senate Reports
- Legislative Histories
- Senate Executive Reports
- Senate Executive Treaty Documents
- Serial Set Maps
- Serial Set
A metadata record is provided for each publication. The content of these records varies by publication type, but always includes full bibliographic information and indexing. The availability of full text varies. Available full text may be accessed from the metadata records. More ...
[edit] U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection
The U.S. Serial Set is a collection of U.S. Government publications compiled under directive of the Congress. It contains comprehensive and often detailed information on an extremely wide range of subjects. There has rarely been a published series of its depth and breadth of coverage, and none in this country as long-lived. Its earliest documents date from 1789 and additions are made continually. More ...
[edit] Congressional Research Digital Collection (CRDC)
The LexisNexis® Congressional Research Digital Collection combines Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports and congressional committee prints into one easy-to-use optional module available through LexisNexis Congressional or as a stand-alone product. It contains comprehensive information on a wide variety of topics. The LexisNexis Congressional Research Digital Collection includes abstracting, indexing, bibliographic information, and searchable PDFs for CRS reports from 1916-present and committee prints from 1830-present. More ...
[edit] Congressional Hearings Digital Collection
The LexisNexis® Congressional Hearings Digital Collection provides digital access to two retrospective collections and a prospective collection of current hearings as an optional module available through LexisNexis Congressional or as a stand-alone product. The LexisNexis Congressional Hearings Digital Collection includes abstracting, indexing, bibliographic information, and searchable PDFs for Congressional hearings from 1824-present. More ...
[edit] Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection
The LexisNexis® Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection provides full text coverage of all that is said on the floor of Congress. The product is slated to be released in the summer of 2008. Included within the service are digital access to four titles: Congressional Record (1873-to date), the Annals of Congress (1789-1824), the Register of Debates (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873). More ...
[edit] Legislative Histories
The handout at the link below includes a summary of the coverage in LexisNexis Congressional Legislative Histories and tips for searching.
[edit] Frequently Asked Questions
[edit] Does LexisNexis Congressional have a Listserv?
Yes, LexisNexis Congressional now has a listserv! Please visit our wiki page about LexisNexis Listservs for more information.
[edit] FAQs About Content
1. Why can't I find all the content described here?
The content of LexisNexis® Congressional varies according to the subscriptions/purchases of individual institutions. Individual entitlements consist of the following modules, accessed individually or in combination with one another:
- Basic Subscription
- Congressional Indexes - Historical Module
- Statutes at Large Module
- Congressional Research Digital Collection - Retrospective Module
- Congressional Research Digital Collection - Prospective Module
- U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection
- Congressional Hearings Digital Collection - Retrospective Module A
- Congressional Hearings Digital Collection - Retrospective Module B
- Congressional Hearings Digital Collection - Prospective Module
- Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection - Retrospective Module
- Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection - Prospective Module
The basic subscription provides all users with access to the full text of selected publications. 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.
2. What's the source, coverage, and update schedule for the content?
Please refer to the content coverage chart in the Help text on LexisNexis® Congressional for information on each Congressional file's coverage, update schedule, and source.
[edit] FAQs About Building a Search String
LexisNexis® Congressional allows you to create complex search strings, which in turn can significantly improve your search results. Keep in mind that the more precisely your search string expresses what you're looking for, the more likely the results will meet your research needs. More ...
[edit] FAQs About Finding Information
To assist users in their research, we compiled a list of responses to the most commonly asked questions about finding information on LexisNexis Congressional. More ...
[edit] FAQs About Finding Information in Your Library
For information on using the Locate a Copy of This Publication in Your Library link for all records in the LexisNexis academic suite of products, follow the instructions here
[edit] FAQs About Citing Publications
An ever-growing amount of federal government information is available in electronic format. This presents unique challenges to a scholar citing such works. The following principles should be followed to ensure that another researcher can locate exactly the same electronic text and distinguish the electronic text from the print equivalent.
- Use document header information to provide information about the electronic document. Header information is found at the top of each electronic record.
- Try to provide a unique identifier (either a record or entry number, a code, or a standard abbreviation) to help the reader identify the exact text being cited. Frequently, this information is in the header.
- Provide a document date or "Load date" for each record to provide information about the specific version being cited. This record may be updated later, and the date provided within the citation will alert a reader to a possible change in the text.
- Supply information (such as U.S. Congress or U.S. House) to clarify the source of the material; many databases do not provide this information in the header for each document. It can be found in the database description within the citation help provided in LexisNexis® Congressional. Click here to go to the "How to Cite" portion of the Help text on LexisNexis Congressional.
- Indicate the database name and the vendor making the database available. Some databases are available from many different sources, and the text may be different in each. This information also allows the reader to contact the vendor for help in accessing the information.
- Insert a standard pattern of punctuation to clarify the relationship between the elements of the citation. Underlining or italicizing titles, dates, and vendor names can help the reader understand the source of the citation information.
- Since many full-text databases do not include page numbers, insert phrases such as "Quote from:" or "Appendix from:" to let your reader know that the information being quoted is from a larger document.
For more detailed information and guidelines for citing both print and electronically formatted government information resources, consult The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Social Science and Business Research, 3rd ed. by Debora Cheney, LexisNexis, Bethesda, MD. 2002. This manual was originally published in 1984 as The Complete Guide to Citing Government Documents: A Manual for Writers and Librarians by Diane Garner and Diane Smith.
The help text on LexisNexis® Congressional includes instructions for how to create a bibliographic citation for specific publication types.
[edit] FAQs About Bookmarking
You can bookmark favorite pages or searches in LexisNexis Congressional. More ...
[edit] More Information About LexisNexis Congressional
Please visit the Congressional portion of our website or the main Congressional page in this Wiki for more information about LexisNexis Congressional content and functionality.
[edit] Download Center
Visit our Congressional Downloads Page