Research Guides: International & Public Affairs Research Guide: Find Other Resources

Reference Materials

Reference materials provide a good, working knowledge of key issues and sub-topics and provide ideas for other sources to explore. Beyond this list, you should know that all of the following types of materials can be helpful reference material for your research: almanacs, atlases, bibliographies, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, handbooks, and indexes.

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Directories:

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General Reference

Gale virtual reference library: Database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Oxford Bibliographies: Offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas
Oxford Reference online: Contains the texts of more than 100 reference titles published by Oxford University Press.

Guides & Handbooks

Oxford Handbooks Online. Philosophy: Offer both thorough introductions to topics in the discipline, and a useful reference resource for scholars and advanced students.
The Oxford Handbook of Political Theory: Analysis of historical texts sits alongside more analytical work on the nature and normative grounds of political values.
Oxford Companion to Politics of the World
Political Handbook of the world: Contains entries on countries and territories around the world. It covers each country's political parties and includes names of key ambassadors, international memberships, and profiles intergovernmental organizations.
Social Theory: Offers an extensive selection of documents that explore the complexities and interpret the nature of social behavior and organization.
World Bank Understanding Poverty

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Dictionary of Conflict Resolution
Encyclopedia of Governance: Information on topics surrounding governance for the period between the collapse of the post-war consensus and the rise of neoliberal regimes
Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts.
Encyclopedia of Political Science: Consists of more than 1,500 A to Z signed entries by contributors from more than 30 countries, including 300 overview articles or interpretive essays. The encyclopedia supports all of the core undergraduate courses in political science: American government, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, public administration, political behavior, political theory, and political science methods.
Encyclopedia of Political Theory: Examines the global landscape of all the key theories and the theorists behind them. Key Themes: Applied Ethics; Comparative Theory; Constitutional Thought; Critical Theory; Democratic Thought; Early Modern Thought; International Theory; Power and Authority; Self and Community.
Encyclopedia of Social Measurement: Articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world on a wide array of global topics in the social sciences.
Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict (2008)
Historical Dictionary of Multinational Peacekeeping: Online and print available, call number: JZ 6374 .M38 2004
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences: Articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world on a wide array of global topics in the social sciences.

International & Public Affairs Research Guide: Find Other Resources

Reference Materials

General Reference

Guides & Handbooks

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Writing