Special Types of Information

International Relations home > Special Types of Information

• Maps
• Statistics
• Treaties and International Agreements
• Theses and Dissertations

In addition to the background information you find in books and videos, and the research you locate in periodical literature, other excellent sources of international relations information exist. The following list explains where you can find special types of information that might enhance your research project.

Note: Access to the online subscription databases listed throughout this document is limited to currently registered students, faculty, and staff of Webster and Eden. Complete lists of the databases available through Passports, the library's Web site, are available by following the link to Articles / Databases on the home page.

Note: Call numbers for print materials in the Emerson Library at Webster University are provided in parentheses. Extended campus students may wish to check the catalog of your local library to see if the resource is available and where it is shelved.

Maps

Maps are an important resource for country studies and international relations. Emerson Library offers print atlases in the reference collection but the Internet may be a more immediate source of map images. Below are two helpful map sites. Additional sites are listed on the Map page of the Passports Websites Directory.

MapsMachine (National Geographic)

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

Provides useful features, such as page-size maps suitable for printing in pdf format; flags and facts about countries of the world; and, dynamic theme maps depicting characteristics such as regions with mineral resources, location of earthquakes, elevation, vegetation, etc.

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html

One of the premier map collections on the Internet. Includes current and historical maps, links to city map sites, maps of regions currently in the news, etc.

Statistics

A wealth of statistical information can be found on web sites and in print reference books. Here are a number of helpful Internet sites for international statistics on countries of the world. The following sites are also listed on the Passports Statistical Resources page.

InfoNation

Easy-to-use source for comparative statistics from the United Nations. You can select up to seven countries and compare them in areas such as population, environment, economy, and social indicators (e.g. education, health, crime).

International Data Base (IDB)/U.S. Census Bureau

Offers data on the population and selected characteristics of over 200 countries. Some data are supplied by the country itself, and some are estimates compiled by the Bureau. Period coverage is approximately 1950 to 50 years in the future for some projections.

Numeric Data for UN Information

Select list of links to data from various sources, including the United Nations.

Population Reference Bureau

Provides access to statistical data on the United States and countries of the world. Includes feature articles from publications such as Population Bulletin and Population Today.

Print reference books also compile statistics that may be as recent as those published on the Internet. Many of these standard reference books may be available in academic libraries in your area. An important book for country statistics is Europa World Year Book [Webster Reference AG6 .E863] an annual publication that profiles countries of the world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Each profile includes a statistical survey section. It is also available online as a database called Europa World.

"Lies, damn lies, and statistics"* If you intend to use and/or quote statistics in your research, be very careful--especially if you are using someone else's interpretation of the numbers and their significance. It is often best to find the original source of the statistics to make sure the statistical analysis is logical and is not taken out of context. Statistics can often be interpreted in different ways depending on one's point-of-view. *Quote attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of England

Treaties and International Agreements

Your research may require information about international agreements and treaties. The following Internet sites provide treaty information and may in some cases offer the text for the individual documents.

University of Michigan Documents Center

Gateway to information on international treaties as well as other international relations research sources.

Washburn School of Law - Foreign and International Law - Treaties International

United Nations - International Law

Theses and Dissertations

Many universities require the preparation of a master's thesis or a doctoral dissertation for completion of an advanced degree. Any theses and dissertations given to the library are cataloged in the library's online catalog. Note that not all programs require a formal thesis or dissertation and not all programs submit these documents to the library. You may need to contact your department to see if copies are available in their office instead. To learn how to search for such items, see our Webster/Eden Theses or Dissertations page.

If you find one in our catalog you'd like to see, St Louis area students may visit the library to look at a copy. Extended campus students may request a copy using the library's Document Delivery Service.

Dissertations & Theses @ Webster University contains Webster doctoral dissertations and masters level theses submitted summer, 2005 to the present. Webster/Eden faculty, staff, and students may view the full text for free (pdf files require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Dissertation Abstracts Online (a FirstSearch database) indexes dissertations and theses accepted at accredited U.S institutions since 1861. It selectively covers masters theses, Canadian dissertations, and British and other European dissertations. As the name implies, you can only find an abstract of the document on this database. Abstracts are often sufficient to explore what research is currently being done in your field. Usually only the library affiliated with the institution that granted the degree will hold a copy of the dissertation.

Note: Unless you are working on an extensive research project, it may not be necessary to consult theses or dissertations. It is recommended that you exhaust other options for research first (i.e. library catalogs, databases, research handbooks, etc.).