Research Support Services
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.
 Our
own site provides a "super-duper" MetaSearch
LaunchPad to help you make quick use of the various databases
and search engines available on the web. It is particularly good
for searching educational domain sites or databases specifically
relating to conflict resolution.
Some other helpful links you may want to consider:
Search the OneLook.com online dictionary metasearch system - OneLook.
You can find authoritatively referenced
quotations for your next paper or speech at Bartleby.com.
Use our link to get started.
If you're new to internet research, you can learn a lot reading
some of the research
help files linked to the WWW Virtual Library site.
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.
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