Research Support Services
Specialized Research Tools
Studying conflict-related topics can be very interesting, and also rather challenging given the interdisciplinary nature of conflict studies. Because the field has developed from so many directions at once (ie law, social work, community studies, business, psychology, labor studies, etc.) you may miss important collections of materials and ideas if you only search in the fields you are most familiar with. Fortunately for us, cataloging and indexing services like the CRInfo project and bibliography services like the Peacemaker's Trust bibliography project have emerged, providing useful first stop locations for your research. You should have a look if you haven't visited them lately.
Some other helpful links you may want to consider:
The "Ultimate Research Assistant" site provides an impressive set of tools for searching and using content from the web. Be sure to check out the "mind map" view.
Speaking of mind maps, how about a mind map created from a wikipedia search? You can create one easily with Wikimindmap.org.
Search the OneLook.com online dictionary metasearch system - OneLook.
Julianna Birkhoff, former program officer at the Fund for Research in Dispute Resolution, has prepared a beginning researchers guide that provides helpful advice. See her Conflict Resolution Research FAQ.
Daniel Druckman, professor at George Mason University, has published a research methods textbook entitled Doing Research : Methods of Inquiry for Conflict Analysis aimed at Conflict Studies students. You can search inside the books contents at Amazon.com using this link.
Bill Warters (your "webslinger" here at campus-adr.org), wrote an article in the Conflict Management in Higher Education Report that, while dated 2000 (a long time ago in web years), should still should prove helpful. It was called Harnessing the Power of the World Wide Web for Conflict Studies Courses.
The Plowshares Peace Studies Collaborative (comprised of Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester Colleges) has developed a Webliography of Websites Useful to Peace Studies Undergraduates. Lots of good stuff here.
Exploring Global Conflict: An Internet Guide to the Study of Conflict
This resource guide was developed and edited for a 1998 Global Studies Summer Institute entitled "Cultural Differences in an Interdependent World: Exploring Global Conflict." This guide features a variety of Internet resources related to conflict, peace, current news sources, human rights and humanitarian aid, educational resources, as well as information related to specific conflicts around the world including: Northern Ireland, the Middle East, the Great Lakes region in Africa, and the former Yugoslavia.
If you are interested in a process known as Action Research (research that actively involves the participants and supports efforts at change), you'll find lots of helpful and very specific tools and examples at the Action Research Resources site.
If you are interested in program evaluation research, you will want to visit our Research and Program Evaluation Office here at Campus-adr.org.
The site known as University Libraries Electronic Resources, Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University is a very useful resource. GMU was/is home of the first Ph.D. program specifically in the field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and their librarians have done a good job laying out the key tools available. Be forewarned, however, that it was designed for students on the GMU campus, and links to lots of campus-licensed search tools that are not available to non-students. Fortunately, your campus library might subscribe to them as well if you want to try them out and see what you get.
Research Items from the Campus-adr Tech Blog Archives
Here's 20 random items from the blog Bill Warters has been maintaining since 2003. Perhaps you'll see something worth checking out further.
NPR Offers Series on Web Search Business - hear audio online
This item was posted 04/12/2004.
Searchable Conflict Resolution Education Research and Evaluation Bibliography
This item was posted 03/22/2004.
Searchable CrisisWatch Database
This item was posted 05/21/2004.
SpeechBot Provides Free Online Audio Archives Search Using Speech Recognition
This item was posted 03/03/2004.
Diplomacy Monitor
This item was posted 11/21/2006.
Resources on Ethics in War from the Carnegie Council
This item was posted 06/23/2006.
Peace and World Security Studies Conflict Topic Guides
This item was posted 01/31/2007.
Human Rights Documents Search Engine
This item was posted 06/10/2004.
Community Mediation Research Papers Collection
This item was posted 06/09/2005.
News Quake Maps World Headlines
This item was posted 11/05/2003.
Handbook for Assessment in and of Collaborative Learning
This item was posted 02/21/2005.
2008 Global Peace Index Listings Posted
This item was posted 06/12/2008.
NPR News Briefs available in digital Audio Format
This item was posted 08/12/2003.
Free to Access and Use: A New Repository of Legal Scholarship Goes Live
This item was posted 09/16/2003.
The National Academies Discovery Engine search tool
This item was posted 06/26/2004.
New ERIC Database now offers Fulltext Articles
This item was posted 10/07/2004.
Online Labor-Management Glossary
This item was posted 09/21/2004.
Soup up Your Use of Google with Soople
This item was posted 02/13/2004.
WikiWax Search LookAhead Tool
This item was posted 03/25/2005.
International Association for Conflict Management Papers Archive
This item was posted 04/06/2005.