Research Tips

Research can be an arduous process if you begin by laboring through reports. I suggest, first, taking a look at articles about each topic from hard news sources to gain traction with the complex web of relations and politics.

For instance, topic one on labor exploitation and abuse at sea is wonderfully covered by Ian Urbina in a series of articles for the New York Times. It's called Outlaw Ocean, and Ian follows many stories from different POVs to flesh out an intricate world of fishing. Who knew fish could be so interesting???

From articles onward, I would take a look at important resolutions, documents, and reports. For some resource suggestions, take a look at the Works Cited section of each topic synopsis.

What about Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a good place to start if you are new to both topics. I wouldn't 100% trust the information you find on it, but if you need to develop a broad picture of the situations before you can delve into the details, Wikipedia is a good place to find condensed information. DO NOT CITE WIKIPEDIA, however.

Also, keep in mind the date of when your research was published. If you're going to scan through a 100-page report on the Moro conflict, you might as well make sure it is up-to-date.