International Relations

Getting Started

Reference sources like encyclopedias can help you as you begin a research assignment. Encyclopedia entries provide short syntheses of widely accepted scholarship and facts. Scholarly encyclopedias are more trustworthy than most free websites, and provide additional depth because they focus on specific regions, time periods, and issues. Other reference sources include country profiles and atlases. Some sources are now available online through the library, such as: 

Oxford Reference Online: Politics and Social Sciences - includes entries on international relations and politics.

Many more reference sources are available in print in the Grace Library, such as:

• The Atlas of War and Peace REF 327.1 Sm5a 2003
• The SAGE Handbook of Nations and Nationalism REF 320.54 D37s
• The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World REF 912 T48a 2000 (on atlas stand)
• Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy: Studies of the Principal Movements and Ideas REF 327.73 D35

Research Databases

Find scholarly articles:

EBSCO - select the "Law/Political Science Databases" option.

JSTOR - scholarly journal archive covering a variety of social science topics. Do a general search, or select a discipline in the advanced search.

Columbia International Affairs Online - full-text articles, working papers and other publications in the field of International Relations, from Columbia University.

Find news and current events:

LexisNexis University - provides newspaper articles and broadcast transcripts. Make sure you're on the "International News" tab, and then select an option under "select sources."

EBSCO - the "General/News Databases" search option includes news articles. Limit to "newspaper" under publication type.

Books in the Franklin College Libraries

To locate international relations books, use the Franklin College catalog. Start with an "Anywhere" (keyword) search on your topic, or a Title or Author search if you are looking for a specific book. Books on similar subjects are shelved together, so you can find one title in the catalog and then browse the shelves for more books. Books in the General Collection can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.

Reserve Collection: Many books have been placed on reserve by professors. To determine whether a book has been placed on reserve, check the catalog (which will say "reserve" along with a professor's name). Reserve books can be used in the library for a limited amount of time.

Selected Websites

CIA World Factbook  - country profiles.

UN Statistics division - publications cover the environment, national accounting, trade and other subjects.

UN Economic Commission for Europe Publications - occasional and recurrent publications.

World Bank Data - statistics and data gathered and provided by the world bank.

UN Journal - a summary of meetings and minutes from all activities at the UN building in New York.