Research Guides: PO 408- Senior Seminar: Reference/Background Sources

Reference/Background Sources

Please remember that subject-specific reference sources provide background information on topics. They were written by experts in the field and use the terminology or language of that discipline. The bibliographies are valuable because they identify some of the classic research on the topic. These resources may include:

definitions
overviews
facts & dates
legislation
statistics
bibliographies

The reference collection of the Arnold Bernhard Library can provide you with a starting point for your research, as well as background information and suggestions for further study. Subject-specific dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and statistical sources can serve as a guide to the topic of interest.

Articles in subject-specific encyclopedias are written by scholars in the field and present an overview of a topic. Not only does the article add to your knowledge of the subject but it may also help you outline your approach to the research (check the subject index at the end of the set, too) and introduce you to more specific aspects of a general, broad topic. The article may also provide you with other keywords that are used to describe your topic. In turn, as you build your vocabulary of keywords for your research topic, you will then incorporate them into your search strategies in the databases. Most articles will have a bibliography to suggest further reading, many times citing the classic research in the field.

These sources can be in electronic copy or paper copy. There are many other reference materials that may be helpful and save you time. Please just ask for suggestions.

CQ Researcher: Overviews of Current Issues in the News

CQ Researcher provides weekly, balanced summaries of current issues. Each article has a table of contents for easy navigation. A chronology is included which highlights the development of the topic over time.

This is a sound resource to obtain general background on a topic but it is not a scholarly source. The RSS feed below shows the ten most recent article titles.

Click on View Website below to enter the full CQ Researcher database.

Selected Reference Sources

Encyclopedia of Democracy [paper copy] by Seymour Martin Lipset (Editor)
Call Number: BERNHARD LIBRARY REFERENCE ROOM JC423 .E53 1995 4 Volumes LIBRARY USE
ISBN: 0871876752
Publication Date: 1995-11-01
With over 400 articles written by more than 200 international scholars, readers gain access to all aspects of democracy from its earliest stirrings to such recent developments as the end of eastern European communism and South African apartheid.
Encyclopedia of Governance by Mark W. Bevir (Editor)
Call Number: BERNHARD LIBRARY REFERENCE ROOM JC11 .E53 2007 2 Volumes LIBRARY USE [paper copy]
ISBN: 1412905796
Publication Date: 2006-12-13
The Encyclopedia of Governance provides a one-stop point of reference for the diverse and complex topics surrounding governance for the period between the collapse of the post-war consensus and the rise of neoliberal regimes in the 1970s. This comprehensive resource concentrates primarily on topics related to the changing nature and role of the state in recent times and the ways in which these roles have been conceptualized in the areas of Political Science, Public Administration, Political Economy, and Sociology.
Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts by Joseph R. Rudolph (Editor)
ISBN: 9781610695527
Publication Date: 2015-12-07
An indispensable reference that will help students understand the major ethnic conflicts that dominate the headlines and shape the modern world. * Presents comprehensive coverage of ethnic conflicts that enables readers to comprehend recent events around the world * Contains updates and revisions to the first edition and new entries on more current conflicts * Features cases that are both relevant and topical, covering the vast majority of the conflicts that are spilling blood, affecting policies, and shaping the contemporary world * Includes primary documents that support the text, allowing students to use hard evidence in their research * Supports the National Geography Standards by examining cultural mosaics and conflict
The Encyclopedia of Political Science [electronic resource] by George Thomas Kurian (Editor); James E. Alt (Editor); Simone Chambers (Editor); Paula D. McClain (Editor); Geoffrey Garrett (Editor); Margaret Levi (Editor)
ISBN: 9781933116440
Publication Date: 2010-10-12
Prepared with the assistance of the American Political Science Association (APSA), The Encyclopedia of Political Science brings together a distinguished editorial board and over 600 distinguished and rising scholars to chronicle and assess the core issues that have long concerned students of politics. This comprehensive, multi-volume work traces the evolution of political theories, concepts, research frameworks, and political practices from across the world.
Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics by Kerric Harvey (Editor)
ISBN: 9781452244716
Publication Date: 2014-01-21
International Encyclopedia of Political Science [electronic resource] by Bertrand Badie (Editor); Dirk Berg-Schlosser (Editor); Leonardo Morlino (Editor)
ISBN: 9781412959636
Publication Date: 2011-09-07
The encyclopedia was developed in partnership with the International Political Science Association. Key Themes: Case and Area Studies; Comparative Politics, Theory, and Methods; Democracy and Democratization; Economics; Epistemological Foundations; Equality and Inequality; Gender and Race/Ethnicity; International Relations; Local Government; Peace, War, and Conflict Resolution; People and Organizations; Political Economy; Political Parties; Political Sociology; Public Policy and Administration; Qualitative Methods; Quantitative Methods; Religion.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics by Emad El-Din Shahin (Editor); Peri J. Bearman (Editor); Sohail H. Hashmi (Editor); Khaled Keshk; Joseph A. Kechichian
ISBN: 9780199739356
Publication Date: 2014-03-21
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics provides in-depth coverage of the political dimensions of Islam and the Muslim world. It brings together new and updated entries, organised thematically around the major themes of political science: concepts, values, thought, ideologies, structures, institutions, and systems. It covers in-depth topics that are unique to the Muslim world, including basic beliefs; Muslim political history; Islam in specific geographic regions; thinkers and reformers; movements, society and economy; and international relations.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought [electronic resource] by Roxanne L. Euben (Contribution by); Khaled Fahmy (Contribution by); Frank Griffel (Contribution by); Bernard Haykel (Contribution by); Robert W. Hefner (Contribution by); Timur Kuran (Contribution by); Jane McAuliffe (Contribution by); Ebrahim Moosa (Cont
ISBN: 9780691134840
Publication Date: 2012-11-11
The first encyclopedia of Islamic political thought from the birth of Islam to today, this comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible reference provides the context needed for understanding contemporary politics in the Islamic world and beyond. With more than 400 alphabetically arranged entries written by an international team of specialists, the volume focuses on the origins and evolution of Islamic political ideas and related subjects, covering central terms, concepts, personalities, movements, places, and schools of thought across Islamic history.