Research Guides: POLS 092: Senior Comprehensive (SC): Getting Ideas + Background Info

Connect to Resources

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History + Topic Overviews

These sources offer overviews and introductions to the topics they discuss. You can use these sources for some basic historical background, and to identify relevant readings to explore your topic in greater depth.

Cambridge Histories Online
Searchable collection of e-books; useful starting point for exploring topics in history
Very Short Introductions
Launched by Oxford University Press in 1995, Very Short Introductions offer concise introductions to a diverse range of subject areas from Climate to Consciousness, Game Theory to Ancient Warfare, Privacy to Islamic History, Economics to Literary Theory.
Oxford Reference
Bringing together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias, Oxford Reference is the premier online reference product, spanning 25 different subject areas with coverage from 2002 to the present.

Guide: Topic Introductions
This research guide points you to various sources for getting reliable overviews of a topic

Narrowing Your Focus

Mapping your research ideas
Walks you through the process of creating a simple map to generate, visualize, and clarify your research ideas. (another example concept map)

Language + Terminology

Keyword brainstorming tool
Follow the prompts to break down your topic idea into concepts and brainstorm keywords.