Searching for government information can be intimidating due to the sheer amount of material available. Here are some questions you can ask to help decide where and how to search.
The government determines who studies what topics based on their areas of oversight. For example, the Department of Health & Human Services will have different focuses than the Department of Energy or the Department of Homeland Security. Authors are also often "groups" rather than individual people. For example, Subcommittees in Congress are made of multiple individuals, but when written reports are released the Subcommittee is listed as the author.
The government produces information in several different formats, including laws, regulations, testimonies, reports, research articles, data tables, and video and audio recordings. Which formats are used depends on the nature of the content. Depending on your research need, you might use one or more of those formats.
The government has produced information since its inception, but locating it can differ depending on when it was created. Digital availability in particular varies. The list below summarizes some of these considerations based on publication date:
Adapted from Jen Kirk's Finding Gov Info guide, used under CC-BY-NC license.