Use Reference Sources, such as encyclopedias, to get a general overview of your topic. They are not intended to be read cover-to-cover, but rather provide you with more concise information as you begin to explore a topic. Reference sources generally provide several things:

• Background information about a topic.
• Brief, factual overviews of topics.
• Information about important dates, events, and people associated with a topic.
• Terminology and definitions of terms related to a topic.
• Articles written by authors with exertise in the subject matter.
• Bibliographies of sources for further reading.

Here is a sampling of GSU library atlases useful for Middle East Studies research.

Here are some reference sources on the Arab-Israeli Conflict.