Background Sources | Electronic Books | Electronic Journals | Databases | Newspapers | Websites
This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course. It emphasizes those sources that you can use while in Belfast - electronic reference works, books and journals.
To use any of the library's restricted databases from off campus you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access link in the upper-right hand corner and login with your UWnetID and password. These databases are marked with a lock
.
For other services and information see Services for Remote and Online Users.
Reference librarians are available to help you 24/7 so even when it's 2:00 am Seattle time, you can get help by chatting with a librarian.
If you can wait a while for a reply, we can answer your questions via email at olray@u.washington.edu or mudrock@u.washington.edu.
Background Sources
Encyclopedias and other reference works provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms when searching research databases and catalogs. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. Country profiles can provide quick information on the politics and economy of a country including statistics.
If you don't find information you need in the specific encyclopedias listed below, check out these collections of electronic reference works (all are
For standard dictionaries and other electronic reference books see Reference Tools
Electronic Books
The library has a growing collection of electronic books. One of the better collections for this class is
- The Northern Ireland Conflict: Consociational Engagements
- Northern Ireland and the Divided World: Post-Agreement Northern Ireland in Comparative Perspective
- Mobilizing for Peace: Conflict Resolution in Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Israel/Palestine
To find other e-books, search the UW Libraries Catalog. Type in your topic in the search boxes and change the Location box to "Electronic Resources." Since there are so many pre-20th century e-books, you may want to use the year limit to find books published more recently. See example of the search screen.
To find books at Stranmillis University College Library, use their catalog StranCat. You can also search the Library of Queen's University, via their catalog QCat.
Electronic Journals
Your best bet for getting academic journal articles is to use the following ejournal collections that cover social sciences and humanities. Each collection has its own searching function.
A collection of more than 600 journals covering all fields. JSTOR includes the entire backfile of the journal from the first issue published through approximately 2002 (no current issues are available through JSTOR). Examples of journals are:
- European Sociological Review (1985-1999 )
- International Affairs (1944-2002)
- Journal of Law and Society (1982-2002)
- Journal of Peace Research (1964-2004)
- For more current electronic journals see the following collections. Most have coverage dating to the late 1990s and cover humanities and social science disciplines.
Databases
Another way to find journal articles (both print and electronic) is to search a database. Some databases include fulltext articles, others include links out to fulltext articles in collections such as JSTOR. Usually databases provide more sophisticated searching that do e-journal collections.
To discover if the UW has a copy of the journal, click on the
button that should appear in your search results. If the button doesn't appear then search the UW Libraries Catalog for the journal title to determine if we own the journal either online or in print.
Keep in mind though that many of the items listed in databases will not be available online. If you need an article from a print-only journal available on the UW campus, you will need to place an interlibrary loan request and pay $7 for the article to be scanned in as a pdf for you. If you need an article NOT available either in print or online at the UW, then use interlibrary loan to get a free copy.
The following databases may be useful to identify journal articles on your research topic. To find the best databases for other subjects see Resources by Subject.
This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. Includes some fulltext. Other general databases to try are
This is the best database to find citations to articles in the field of political science and public policy. Not fulltext.
This is the best database to find citations to articles dealing sociology. Not fulltext.Newspapers
The Libraries subscribes to a number of fulltext newspaper database. For a more complete list see Finding News Articles.
- Current Newspaper Coverage
Current coverage of US and international newspapers dating back to the late 1980s. Includes the Irish Times from 1992 on and the Belfast Telegraph from 1996 onward.
Current coverage of major US and international newspapers dating back to the late 1990s. Includes the Belfast Telegraph from 2001 onward and the Irish Times from 1995 on.
- Historic Newspaper Coverage
Digitized version from 1851 to 2004.
Digitized version of the London newspaper from 1785-1985.Websites
- CAIN: Northern Ireland Conflict
CAIN, Conflict Archive on the Internet, is a "web site devoted to providing a wide range of information and source material on the Northern Ireland conflict and politics in the region from 1968 to the present."- Omagh Bomb Digital Archive
Archive of newspapers and other material dealing with the 1998 bombing in Omagh, Northern Ireland which killed 29 people.
UW Libraries | Research 101
20 February 2008
Lauren Ray
Theresa Mudrock
