Starting out - GU-Q: IPOL 322 - Foreign Policies of Middle Eastern States - LibGuides at Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service in Qatar

How to Use Reference Sources

At the beginning stages of your assignment you will probably need some additional background information on your subject. During the middle stages of your project, you might also need to clarify a definition, or explore related topics that didn't come up when you were writing your outline. Reference databases can help you to:

Find more background information on your subject(s) quickly and comprehensively.
Create a list of related terms which will help you later on your research process with tools like the Mind Map.
Clarify new terminology or information that comes up during your work on an assignment.
Point you to additional resources.

Credo Reference Database

Credo is a database that contains encyclopedias, handbooks, guides and dictionaries in all disciplines. You can find it in the library's website under "Databases". You can also search using your keywords in this box:

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Provides online, full text access to Gale subject encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Includes Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History; Encyclopaedia Judaica; Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy; Encyclopedia of American Industries; Encyclopedia of American Religions; Encyclopedia of Bioethics; Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security; Encyclopedia of Ethical, Legal and Policy Issues in Biotechnology; Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World; Encyclopedia of Population; Encyclopedia of Religion; Encyclopedia of Sociology; Encyclopedia of the American Constitution; Environmental Encyclopedia; Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America; Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology; New Catholic Encyclopedia; New Catholic Encyclopedia Jubilee Volume; New Dictionary of the History of Ideas; St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture; and West's Encyclopedia of American Law.

References At the End of Articles

Use the references at the end of articles to find more information about a topic.

Other Reference Sources

Here are some examples of references sources you can find in the library, apart from the databases mentioned above:

CountryWatch This link opens in a new window
Geographic, political, and economic information in narrative and statistical form on 192 individual countries. Provides GDP, growth, money, prices, unemployment, government, debt, trade, and balance of payments. Productivity data on five key sectors. Gives country rankings for trade, population, productivity, development and technology.

Handbook of International Relations by Beth A. Simmons
Call Number: JZ1242 .H365 2013
Publication Date: 2013
The original Handbook of International Relations was the first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the field of international relations. In this eagerly-awaited new edition, the editors have once again drawn together a team of the world's leading scholars of international relations to provide a state-of-the-art review and indispensable guide to the field, ensuring its position as the pre-eminent volume of its kind.
Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics by Martin Griffiths
Call Number: JZ1160 .E53x 2005
Publication Date: 2005
The Routledge Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics provides a unique reference source for students and academics covering all aspects of global international relations and the contemporary discipline across IR's major subject divisions of diplomacy, military affairs, international political economy, and theory.

GU-Q: IPOL 322 - Foreign Policies of Middle Eastern States

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Websites

How to Use Reference Sources

Credo Reference Database

Gale Virtual Reference Library

References At the End of Articles

Other Reference Sources