Think tanks or policy institutes are organizations that exist to conduct research and promote, or advocate for, positions related to ideologies of the founding members. Think tanks promote views and agendas related to social policy, foreign policy, economic issues, science and technology, and industrial or business policies.
These organizations often publish results of their research or their position or policy papers in magazines, newsletters and journals, which may be freely accessible on their web sites, or may also be available in databases such as Nexis Uni and Academic Search Complete. One example is the CATO Journal.
To determine if a publication is produced by a think tank or policy institute, and to determine a potential bias:
1. Search for the publication in Google or another search engine.
2. Find the home page for the publication. This will be the publisher's site.
3. Examine the publisher's web site, clicking on the "About" section to learn about the organization's focus and agenda(s).
Non-governmental organizations may focus their efforts on politics and national security, the environment, economics, business and development, health and medicine or social and cultural issues. To find an NGO that has something to say about your topic: