About the Educational Resources Guide

Mission Statement

The mission of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) is to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis.

The Internet represents an important resource for the field of nonproliferation studies. Many sites maintained by key organizations for nonproliferation studies contain easily accessible and detailed information. Especially in a dynamic field such as nonproliferation studies, the Internet can provide a useful educational tool for students, professors, researchers and the general public. However, in the past years, the Internet revolution has made the location of reliable, accurate and educational information more and more challenging. The Center for Nonproliferation Studies Educational Resources Guide (CNSERG) aims to guide students, educators, researchers and the general public to the location of educational nonproliferation information on the Internet.

Guide Design

The CNSERG is an annotated, searchable collection of Internet sites in the field of nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament. The guide is powered by a database that uses keywords to provide students assistance in finding information on the internet.

Each entry will include a description of the site content and indicate educational features such as full text documents, factsheets, internships, references, multimedia and link collections. Each feature is illustrated with an icon. A complete description of the various icons is available in the icon key.

The major topics field identifies special areas of interest for the website and links the topics listed directly to the information within the site.

Each site is rated according to its educational value and appropriate education levels or audiences to which the site is directed (elementary, high-school, college). The educational value rating for each site is indicated by a number icon (1 - 5) which corresponds to the number of educational features it offers. Sites with fewer features (and therefore lower ratings) may include material of significant educational value. However, we recommend that students begin their investigation of a topic by visiting higher-rated sites first.

Sample Results

A database search will produce a list of sites that contain information in the field of nonproliferation studies. The following is a sample record for the Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS)

Web Site Description: The Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies conducts research and analysis on a broad range of disarmament and nuclear nonproliferation topics. Online databases house extensive collections of academic articles along with up to date information on current nonproliferation issues. Good starting point for any research dealing with arms control and weapons of mass destruction. [reviewed 7/30/01]
Major Topics: Chemical and Biological Weapons Resources,Missile Resources,Nuclear Resources,WMD Terrorism,International Treaties & Regimes,The Nonproliferation Review
Feature: CNS Databases
Education Level: High School & University
http://cns.miis.edu

Database Search

The database can be searched by keywords, features or any combination of both. Using the keyword section of the search page, the user types in a word or phrase (ex: Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty) or selects a topic from the keyword menu (ex: Arms Control). A keyword selection from the pull-down menu will produce a list of possible subtopics as well as search results based on the selected keyword. The search may be narrowed further on the results screen by selecting a subtopic.

The feature section of the search page allows the user to search the database for sites with certain educational features such as internships, full text documents, factsheets, multimedia, references or link collections. The user can also limit the search to sites with content appropriate for certain education levels (elementary, high school & university), to sites with a specific Educational Value Rating (assigned by CNS), to sites in a specific language, or to sites with various Teaching Tools.

Website Selection Guidelines

1. The CNSERG includes sites of official organizations such as governments, international organizations, educational institutions, media, research institutions and NGOs involved in nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament.

2. The site must contain information on at least one of the primary keyword categories

3. The sites must contain information designed for, or especially useful to, students and educators.

4. The CNSERG will primarily include sites with original material. Sites containing only link collections and the like will be included provided that the content is useful for educational purposes.

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