Use SURF to Find Books and Ebooks
As you start your research, ask yourself: What information do you already know about your topic? What information would be useful to know?
Encyclopedias and dictionaries are good sources to consult when you are at the beginning of your research and you are compiling the basics about your topic.
Search the catalog for books on your topic that can provide a detailed history of it. Instead of reading the whole book, look through the Subject Index or Table of Contents to see what might be most relevant to you.
Books are extremely useful for getting started in your research & providing trustworthy scholarly background knowledge to build on.
Reference Sources
Encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information and can be used to reference different ideas you come across. Try including Dictionary or Encyclopedia as a basic search term to see if there's a reference source focused on your topic.
Some are designated as materials that may not be available for checkout, only in-library use, so be sure to check on how to use each.
A few that might be useful are:
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Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence
by
Call Number: HM1121 .E57 2008ISBN: 1412918006Publication Date: 2008-06-19 -
An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996
by
Call Number: D842 .J47 1998ISBN: 0313281122Publication Date: 1998-08-11 -
Countries and Their Cultures
by
Call Number: GN307 .C68 2001 & eBookISBN: 0028658965Publication Date: 2003-11-01 -
The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace
by
Call Number: JZ5533 .O95 2010ISBN: 019533468XPublication Date: 2010-02-18
