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3.  Framework for Research

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This section describes reference sources that can be used to either help jumpstart the research process, to further expand on research already undertaken, or to support the research process.  The following categories of reference sources are surveyed below: encyclopedias, handbooks, resource guides, yearbooks/annual surveys, bibliographies, literature reviews, dictionaries/glossaries, geographic resources, multimedia resources and statistical resources.  Each sub-section focuses on an individual type of reference source and includes an overview of the source and how it is used.  Examples of each reference source are provided via a link to a bibliography of forced migration-related titles.  Each bibliographic entry includes the following: basic bibliographic details such as author, title, publisher, place of publication and publication date; a brief descriptive abstract; index terms taken from the International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology (ITRT) (see "Tags" in the navigation menu on the right); and access information.  The latter includes one or more of the following: a URL[14] for the complete text, if the item is available online; a URL for the item’s bibliographic record in Worldcat,[15] if it has been catalogued by a library; and/or the URL for the publisher or producer of the item.  The sub-section ends with tips on how to search for additional titles should the ones listed below be insufficient. 

 

Starting Points for Your Research

 

Find an overview of or introduction to the main issue and/or displacement situation that your research addresses. 

 

Encyclopedias

 

The role of an encyclopedia is to present an overview of what is known about a particular subject.  Entries are normally arranged alphabetically, and include a brief bibliography as well as cross-references to other related entries in the volume.  Encyclopedias with very broad coverage such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica will generally include an entry for “refugees,” but they usually do not discuss other types of forced migrants, nor do they provide the depth of coverage of a more specialized encyclopedia.  The scope of these specialized encyclopedias varies greatly.  For example, one can find encyclopedias that

 

• cover a scholarly discipline, such as the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007) and the Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations (2002);
• survey regions or individual countries, such as the Encyclopedia of the Developing World (2006) and Conflict in Afghanistan: A Historical Encyclopedia (2003);
• focus on particular issues or groups, such as the Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity (2005) and the Encyclopedia of the Palestinians (2005). 

 

Because the study of forced migration is inherently multidisciplinary, different aspects of the field will be covered by a wide variety of encyclopedias and discussed from the over-arching perspective taken by the encyclopedia.  These encyclopedia titles are most directly relevant to and provide the most comprehensive coverage of forced migration issues, and they serve as good starting points for any research exercise. 

 

How to find other encyclopedias: Most encyclopedias are published in print format; often, they are accompanied by electronic counterparts which can only be accessed by paying subscribers.  While several general encyclopedias can be accessed online at no cost,[16] the specialized titles are usually only available in print and therefore must be consulted at a library.  To locate encyclopedias in the library catalogue, limit your search to the Library of Congress “subject headings” field for >>encyclopedias<< in combination with your subject term.  For example, >>human rights encyclopedias<<, >>AIDS encyclopedias<<, >>conflict encyclopedias<<, etc.  Because not every encyclopedia includes the word “encyclopedia” in its title (see Immigration and Asylum above as an example), searching the “subject headings” field will ensure more comprehensive search results.  Alternatively, if your library does not use Library of Congress subject headings, search generally for >>encyclopedia<< in the “title” field, then check the “index terms” or “descriptors” field in the record.  This will give you an idea of the controlled form that is used by that library to index encyclopedias.  For example, the International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology’s accepted form is >>encyclopaedias<<.  You can then continue conducting searches using this term in the appropriate subject-related field. 

 

Handbooks

 

Mann (2005) describes handbooks as being “related to encyclopedias and treatises in that they try to provide the principles and important facts of a subject area, and in that they can be arranged alphabetically or systematically.  Their major distinction from these other forms is their emphasis on practice, procedures, and other ‘how to’ directions for producing actual results rather than just intellectual understanding” (p. 267).  These forced migration titles serve as useful “all-in-one” reference books providing either context for an issue, facts and figures, definitions, chronologies, statistics, or other summary information. 

 

• The Cambridge Survey of World Migration
• The Global Refugee Crisis: A Reference Handbook 
• Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations 
• Historical Dictionary of Refugee and Disaster Relief Organizations 
• Refugees in America in the 1990s: A Reference Handbook

 

Many other handbooks place emphasis on helping readers to realize practical results.  In the forced migration context, the two most representative types of these reference sources are 1) operational guidance materials which are generally compiled for field staff, and 2) legal handbooks that summarize the immigration or asylum law of a particular country or international law as it applies to certain groups.  The principal objective of both of these handbook categories is to provide humanitarian personnel, legal practitioners, or policymakers with portable and succinct information resources that can be referred to on an as-needed basis.  As such, they are also useful starting points for research because they usually provide basic introductions and concise overviews, as well as distill key points from larger bodies of information.  And they often include “useful reading” lists which provide readers with references to pursue for further research.  While there are too many titles to list comprehensively, a number of recently-published examples will introduce readers to the planning process for delivering assistance and providing protection to specific forced migrant groups during various types of displacement situations. 

 

View examples of all the handbook types discussed in this section.

 

How to find other handbooks:  Tracking down handbooks in the library is less clear cut than finding other types of reference materials.  While there is a Library of Congress subject heading for >>handbooks, manuals, etc.<<, it is not consistently assigned to every handbook-type reference source.  Searching for occurrences in the title field of >>handbook<< or other synonyms such as >>manual<<, >>guide<<, >>sourcebook<<, etc. will often yield good results.  Relevant index terms from the International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology are >>manuals<< and >>guidelines<<.  Another consideration is that because most operational guidance materials are produced by international organizations like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and by non-governmental organizations rather than by mainstream publishers, they tend to be available online rather than in libraries.  This presents different retrieval challenges, since using web search engines to conduct very broad or imprecise searches is not a productive approach.  It is often more useful to go directly to the web sites of known entities.  Thus, one strategy is to browse through the publication indexes of the principal humanitarian agencies highlighted in the introduction of this guide.[17] 

 

Search and browse for relevant titles in these discrete collections of operational/field-oriented manuals.

 

Resource Guides

 

In the forced migration context, these resources provide an introduction to a specific topic or country and highlight useful print and electronic resources for further research.  They tend to be less authoritative than encyclopedias and handbooks.  However, because most are web-based, they often provide more current references and direct links to full-text materials online, and they can be updated more easily to factor in current developments.  Another type of resource guide common in other academic disciplines is the “guide to the literature,” the function of which is to describe the key reference sources and research tools available in a particular subject area.  Examples include The African Studies Companion: A Guide to Information Sources (Hans Zell, 2006) and Sociology: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources (Libraries Unlimited, 2005).  (The present work will be the first guide to the literature of forced migration studies since Displaced Peoples and Refugee Studies: A Resource Guide was published in 1990.)  A final variation on the resource guide is the “subject guide” or “pathfinder.”  Librarians prepare subject guides in order to point readers to the main information resources and reference tools within the library that can be used to research a topic or field of study.  Examples of each guide type include:  

 

• Displaced Peoples and Refugee Studies: A Resource Guide (guide to the literature)
• Guide to International Refugee Law Resources on the Web (web-based research guide)
• Researching Foreign and International Asylum and Refugee Law (library subject guide)

 

For additional forced migration-related resource guides, explore the country- and theme-specific titles included in these web-based collections.

 

How to find other guides:  As noted above, libraries often compile subject guides for their users and distribute them in both print and electronic formats.  These will usually list any research or literature guides that are available for different disciplines.  To locate libraries in your country, check the library directories listed in endnote 8 in Part 2, Section 1: Search Essentials.

 

Yearbooks/Annual Surveys

 

These resources report annually (or biennially, in some cases) on trends and developments within a certain subject area or field of study.  Overviews are usually supplemented by statistical data, facts and figures, and other useful information.  While the primary purpose of yearbooks and surveys is to provide an authoritative review and analysis of recent events, many titles organize discussions around a particular theme which changes from year to year.  Given the focus on geographic areas in the forced migration field, several yearbooks also document displacement developments on a country-by-country basis.  These reference sources are particularly useful texts to review for new researchers, since they present an overview of key issues, events, and players, as well as provide definitions and background information.  For historical purposes, they also maintain a record of displacement situations over time.  Like handbooks, though, these resources are generally compiled by international organizations and NGOs, and as such, they tend to be available online rather than in libraries. 

 

View examples of yearbooks and annual surveys.

 

How to find other yearbooks:  Since yearbooks are regularly-produced—or serial—publications, they are usually assigned the LCSH >>[subject]--periodicals<< in library catalogues.  In this way, they become interspersed with other periodicals such as academic journals and newsletters, and as a result, they may be difficult to identify.  The Refugee Studies Centre library tends to use the ITRT index term >>annual reports<< to describe these titles; while searching on this phrase produces a narrower set of results, relevant titles will nevertheless be grouped together with other annual reports of organizations and their activities. The Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog regularly monitors releases of the web editions of the principal yearbooks and surveys, and therefore, is a reliable resource for locating many of these materials.[18]

 

 

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Endnotes

 

 

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