Research Guides: POLS 004: International Politics (SC): Finding Reliable Background Info

Reliable Background Information

Try these resources for reliable background information (e.g. names, dates, places).

Cambridge Histories Online
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Searchable collection of e-books; useful starting point for exploring topics in history
Very Short Introductions
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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
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Search through encyclopedias, subject companions, and other reference texts from Oxford University Press.

Quick Sources for Statistics

These links point to just a few of the many resources offering statistics (and raw data). For a larger list, check out the Tri-Co Libraries Census and Statistics Guide. You can always ask a librarian for help finding stats and data (email Simon at selichk1@swarthmore.edu).

Social Explorer
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Offers access to reports and interactive maps for the U.S. Census (1790-present), World Development Indicators (1960-2013), and Eurostat (European Union data), among others. A project of Queens College, sponsored by the New York Times and the National Science Foundation.
Statista: The Leading Statistics Portal
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Provides access to selected statistics and studies of over 600 industries gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources from 2007 to the present.