HIST 3111A History of Humanitarian Aid

Welcome - Please watch this video first before you begin your research.

• Transcript for HIST 3111A video

Pick a Research topic

• Read your syllabus and course assignment instructions carefully
• Pick a topic that interests you and meets the criteria of the assignment
• Need extra help? Click on Choosing an essay topic

Do an initial search on Wikipedia for background knowledge

• Wikipedia will also help you to broaden your search terms
• Watch the video, Using Wikepedia Wisely

Find definitions, identify key concepts by consulting online reference tools

• A World Beyond Borders: an introduction to the history of International Organizations
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Oxford Reference Online
• Routledge history of international organizations: from 1815 to the present day
• SAGE Knowledge Encyclopedias

Journal Article Databases

• America, History and Life
• Historical Abstracts
• EuroDocs
• Hathi Trust Digital Library
• Historical Archives of the European Union
• OECD iLibrary
• Project MUSE
• United Nations iLibrary
• World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

Books

• Historical Dictionary of the League of Nations
• The League of Nations
• Public papers of the Secretaries-General of the United Nations
• Rules for the World: International Organizations in Global Politics
• United Nations, Divided World: the UN's roles in international relations
• Understanding Peacekeeping (print only)
• Unpacking international organizations: the dynamics of compound bureaucracies
• Yearbook of the United Nations (from 1946)

Websites

Start with: International Organizations Subject Guide

• International Committee of the Red Cross
• International Monetary Fund
• United Nations
• UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
• World Bank
• World Health Organization

Writing Guides

• A short guide to writing about history (print only)
• Essaying the past; how to read, write and think about history
• Going to the sources: a guide to historical research and writing
• Notes on writing a history essay (Dept. of History)

​​Citation Guides

• Citing your sources
• Citing primary sources: archive and non-archive
• OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab