Research Tips & Tricks

Issue Books• The first stop for research

• Released by the conference itself

• Outlines the main focus, history of the issue

• Particularly useful in 1st paragraph of policy statement

• Print out and annotate

• Example - Relief to Development

The UN Website• Ideal for 1st paragraph research

• Includes a record of all member states

• Shows signatories/ratifications on all treaties

• Gives the most accurate information

UNBISNET• Records of all UN documents

– Unbisnet.un.org -> New Keyword Search (Under bibliographic records)

– Fill in “Subject” line with topic

– Optional: Your country as author

– Click “English”

• Contains past resolutions and documents

• Example of a document

• Good way to learn resolution writing

The CIA Fact Book• A database containing info about EVERY country the US

recognizes– Info like economy, geography, people, government, communications,

energy, transportation, military, transnational issues, statistics

• Also includes comparisons to other nations– regionally and internationally

• Particularly useful in 2nd paragraph of policy statement

• Example - Brunei

New York Times• Shows history of country (1851 -)

• Displays recent coverage (current event info)

• Includes many links to useful sites– State Dept. site

– CIA Fact Book

– BBC Country Profile

• Just search the country on nytimes.com!

Ministry of Foreign Affairs• Vary country by country

• Contain original documents outlining your country’s stance

• Most issues in committee are discussed on MFA websites

• Perfect for first-hand information for use in policy statements

• Example – Turkey

Raw Research Paper• Three pages: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd paragraphs

• Copy/Paste anything useful

• Condense and clarify into policy statement

• Useful for speeches