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SOF Research Topics and How to Guides
Research Categories, Topics, and Key Strategic Issues
U.S. Army Special Operations Command Priority Research Topics AY21-22 - provides information on USASOC academic research topics.
SWCS Commandant's Professional Reading List and Leadership Development Program
Joint Special Operations University Special Operations Research Topics 2020 (Revised Edition for AY 21) - features recommendations for research topics in special operations.
ARSOF 2022 - introduces the ARSOF 2022 vision, further clarifies the SOF narrative, and functions as a blueprint for changes that are primarily focused at the tactical level.
ARSOF 2022 Part II, Changing the Institution - focuses on institutional change to increase efficiency and improve alignment of operational and force-generation capabilities within the U.S. Army and the U.S. Special Operations Command, while creating new, operational-level capabilities.
U.S. Army War College Key Strategic Issues List 2021-2022 – contains recommendations for research topics
Research Tips
First and foremost, be sure to utilize the research librarians and library resources that you have accessible to you here at SOCoE and at the libraries of your respective graduate degree programs. Librarians possess extensive backgrounds in academic research and eager attitudes to transmit those research skills to you. Knowing your librarians and learning their research skills will save you time and effort throughout your academic studies and your professional career.
SOCoE Marquat Memorial Learning Resource Center - supporting USASOC and USAJFKSWCS in training and educating U. S. Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations Soldiers by providing access to and training on relevant electronic and print resources.
Research Guides
Libraries provide research guides designed to cover the key resources and provide a foundational understanding of a specific topical area. Research guides include information on a subject area gathered from a variety of print and electronic media such as books, websites, almanacs, documentaries, search engines, journals, and blogs. These research guides go by other names such as bibliographies, information portals, resource lists, subject guides, topic guides, and pathfinders. Here, you will find a sampling of research guides and helpful research materials from academic institutions and governmental entities.
SOCoE Libraries Research Guides
U.S. Army Ike Skeleton Combined Arms Center Research Library - Current/Topical Links
Naval Postgraduate School, Dudley Knox Library
- Research Guides by Subject
Joint Special Operations University Library - Research and Information Guides
Air University, Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center
- Subject Resource Guides
Assessing Revolutionary and Insurgent Strategies (ARIS) - research conducted for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command by the National Security Analysis Department of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Its goal is to produce academically rigorous yet operationally relevant research to develop and illustrate a common understanding of insurgency and revolution.
The George Washington University, The National Security Archive - Electronic Briefing Books
The University of Kansas Libraries - Research Guides: Subject Guides
Harvard University Library - Research Guides by Subject
The Library of Congress - Bibliographies, Research Guides, and Finding Aids
Pentagon Library - Information Guides by Subject
Central Intelligence Agency - Library Publications
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration - Research by Topic
University Writing Centers' Materials
University writing centers provide a variety of educational materials to improve students' research and writing skills. Here, you will find a sampling of university writing centers with nationally recognized writing programs. For your SA, other universities and grammar blogs reference the materials provided by The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) and The University of North Carolina Writing Center quite frequently.
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The University of North Carolina Writing Center
Naval Postgraduate School Graduate Writing Center
The University of Iowa Writing Center
The University of California, Berkeley Student Learning Center Writing Program
The University of Kansas Writing Center
The University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate Writing Center
The University of Wisconsin-Madison The Writing Center
The University of Toronto Scarborough The Writing Centre, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Dartmouth College Institute for Writing and Rhetoric
Grammar Help
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The University of North Carolina Writing Center
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The Center for Writing Studies - Writers Workshop: Writer Resources, Grammar Handbook
Weber State University Grammar Brushup - videos and notecards on grammar topics.
Stanford University Program in Writing and Rhetoric - Top Twenty Errors in Undergraduate Writing
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
Capital Community College's Guide to Grammar and Writing - the comprehensive index answers grammar questions.
Writing Your Paper
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The University of North Carolina Writing Center
Harvard University The Writing Center - Strategies for Essay Writing
The University of Pennsylvania - Editing Tips for Effective Writing
Citing Your Resources and Academic Integrity
Citation Management - software tools for managing your research paper resources. Check with your graduate program on the citation management system that they recommend you use.
- Zotero - quick links and support section.
- RefWorks - general information and user guides.
- EndNote - getting started guide (Windows).
- Mendeley - Free account registration and help links.
Citation Styles - check with your graduate program on the preferred citation style for your course of study. Most university writing centers have handouts to assist students with each citation style.
Modern Language Association (MLA) Official Site - brief FAQ page.
The Chicago Manual of Style Official Site - includes Q&A, Tools, and Citation Quick Guide.
American Psychological Association (APA) Official Site - learning APA style.
Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations - written by Kate L. Turabian. This book presents two basic documentation systems: notes-bibliography style (or simply bibliography style) and author-date style (sometimes called reference list style). These styles reflect those presented in The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition, with slight modifications for student writers.
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) - Research and Citation Resources
The University of North Carolina Writing Center -
Citation Resources - citing information in a variety of citation styles.
- How We Cite - video
- Why We Cite - video
- Plagiarism
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Writing and Communication Center - Avoiding Plagiarism
English Language Learners
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) - ESL Students