PSCI 3062: Revolution and Political Violence
Course Guide Contents
Start by using this worksheet to develop your search strategy and record your keywords.
Conducting a Keyword Search
Type the event as a phrase (in quotes).
For example: “cuban revolution”
Alternatively, try the name of the place and another term.
For example: Greece AND “war of independence.
In some cases it may be necessary to add a date (particularly for countries that have had more than one conflict).
For example: Chechnya AND Russia AND 1994
To research the origins of a conflict, add terms (use an asterisk to include plurals or extensions).
revolution AND cause*
revolution AND origin*
revolution AND “case studies”
Group alternate terms with OR. For example:
revolution OR rebellion
conflict OR “civil war”
Consider other keywords:
- Factions, rebels, militias, movements, other groups by name, i.e. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
- Governing bodies, regimes, i.e. Old Regime (Haiti) or Estado Novo (Portugal)
- People – individuals, tribes, ethnicities, i.e. Yasser Arafat, Sunni, Serbs or Serbians
- Consider alternate spelling: Kronstadt OR Kronshtadt, Qadhafi OR Gaddafi
- Consider broader and narrower terms, i.e Ayacucho (instead of Peru) or Yugoslavia (instead of Kosovo)
- Once you have found resources using keyword terms, look at Subject Headings to find other resources
Reference works are an ideal place to start your research. These readings will provide background information like dates, geography, history, person's involved etc...
Hundreds of full-text, online reference texts with an emphasis on history, U.S. and World politics, and government.
The following example may be of particular interest to your course.
Revolutionary Movements in World History: From 1750 to the Present, edited by James V. DeFronzo. 2006
Provides concise profiles on the history, people, and government of each country in the world
CRS Reports CU
Incredibly valuable summaries of important issues written by professional researchers for members of Congress. CRS reports include reports of current and historical legislation, and can cover policy concerns, legislative issues, foreign affairs, and much more. Click deselect all in the "limit to" box and then select CRS reports 1916 - Present
The "definitive" reference resource for studying history, government, and public policy in the United States government
The following example was found using the search terms Libya AND Revolution
Unrest in the Arab World, by Kenneth Jost (with an Outlook, Pro/Con, Timeline etc...)
Comprehensive database of encyclopedia's, almanacs, and "specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
"The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world." Incredibly valuable for students looking for a good summary of history and conflict.
Otherwise known as the "History E-Book" collection, ACLS Humanities provides a large collection of fully searchable history books.
Using Chinook Classic to conduct a Subject Heading search
This strategy works best in Chinook Classic
Select "Subject" from the pull-down menu on the advanced search page for Chinook Classic. Type your search string and view the results. It is also helpful to browse nearby subject headings for more ideas.
Experiment with the following sequences:
[Country Name] -- History – [name of conflict] – [date]
[County Name] -- politics and government -- [century]
Articles date back to 1450 and cover topics like military history and world history
This database contains journal articles that cover the history and culture of the United States and Canada
Covers North American scholarship on East-Central Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet Union.
Try keyword searches in conjunction with a political theory or theorist.
This database is an index of "research, policy, and scholarly discourse on the countries and peoples of the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa". Useful for students studying revolution and conflict in this region
Article and book citations about Latin America in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Also covers Government and Politics, International Relations, and Political Economy
Full-text of 500+ U.S. and International newspapers
Full-text local, regional, national and international news
RefWorks is a database that lets you save your citations and then format them in the style of your choice. Check out this quick guide for help using this resource. FAQS for RefWorks: Tips on getting started and instructions on how to use RefWorks. Use the tab, Adding Resources, to find information on the various ways to add bibliographic information for your sources.
This guide goes over the various formats you can use to cite materials. It also provides links to quick citation sheets.
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We are always happy to answer questions or set up appointments to have a more in-depth discussion of your research.
You can also go to the How Do I? page for additional assistance..
Debra Van Tassel