An overview to know all the Credible sources to consider while researching for an MUN :- 

If you aspire to be an ace at MUNs and don’t know whom to ask, you’ve finally reached the right place. Here you will understand what exactly you need to do and where you can find credible information, which will shrink the distance between you and your best delegate award! 

So, what exactly do you need to strengthen an argument? The right facts, the correct data and the confidence that whatever you speak cannot be refuted on these counts. And these have to come, as they say, straight from the horse’s mouth. The trick then is to find the horse. 

What should you be looking for?

Contrary to what many delegates believe, that speeches need to consist of information about your own country, like its geography or gdp, your research should actually be based on questions that the committee should seek to answer, and then go on to find solutions for the same. For instance, in an agenda about the right to education of children, discussing the steps a particular country has already taken will be less relevant than discussing steps that countries should take, and working on how to put those steps to action.

Be aware of what websites to avoid completely:- 

For your information let me impart something that will alert most of our less experienced mun-ners: Only Wikipedia is not a very credible source of information!

Yes, you got that right, and now that I have most of your attention, I’ll go on and explain why. This is because wikipedia is a space where anyone, regardless of age or qualification or knowledge about the topic at hand, can write whatever they want. For example, one may write that the capital of India is Calcutta.

This is something that is very basic to you and me, which is why we caught the error. But, if the same was about a third world country which you didn’t know existed before hearing its name, you might not realize that you’re making a factual error, and will lose marks without knowing where you went wrong.

Hence, the idea is not to avoid using wikipedia completely, but avoid it when you are trying to put an allegation on a country, or are looking for data that is based on facts, like for example to use in a point of information. In such a case, you need data that is a hundred percent true, as stating false facts or imposing an allegation that does not have a factual base will ruin the executive board’s impression of you, and will of course lead to deduction of marks.

What websites will help you to shine like a diamond and stand out different in an MUN :-

Good question, you are the diamond, not only in the rough but in your whole committee!

I’ll make a list of credible sources to search while preparing for an MUN right here for you.

1. United Nations Official Website:-  This is where you can find:
2. UN reports like the press releases, resolutions and recommendations of UN bodies like the general assembly and security council. 

(http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/) ; (http://www.un.org/en/ga/) 

2. UN affiliated bodies like the International Atomic Energy Agency, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, International committee of the red cross, etc.

(http://www.worldbank.org) ; (http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm) 

3. UN Digital Library

2. Multilateral or Regional organizations like the NATO, ASEAN, OPEC:- Complicated terms aren’t they? Let me break them down for you. This is the ‘international cooperation and dialogue between nations’ that chatgpt tells you about! 

Multilateral organizations are basically groups of countries that decide to come together and support each other in their fight against some threats to peace and security, or work on a common goal like ASEAN does for South Asia’s economic development.

(http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm) ; (http://www.aseansec.org) ; (http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/) 

3. News agencies:- This is somewhere where I’ll need your attention again, dear delegate, because “news agencies” does not at all include your daily television news like aajtak or ndtv! The term here refers solely to international news agencies that investigate the matter at hand in depth and provide us with reliable and extensively verified data.

1. Reuters 
2. Al Jazeera

Why not use News channels and instead, prefer news agencies? Simply because the website that you are referring to is not recognised by the government and they don’t believe that the data being provided by said website is verified or reliable.

What you can do is to use the research and data of a news agency for the delegate of Russia, a Chinese agency for the delegate of China!

Now, since the agency is run by the country’s own government and the data hence is verified and approved of by them, they are faced with an obligation to answer the question.

1. RIA Novosti (Russia):- http://en.rian.ru/
2. IRNA (Iran):- (http://www.irna.ir/ENIndex.htm)
3. BBC (United Kingdom):- http://www.bbc.co.uk/
4. Xinhua News Agency and CCTV (P.R. China):- http://cctvnews.cntv.cn/

4. Government Reports: These reports can be used in a similar way as the State Operated News Agencies reports.

1. State Department of the United States of America (http://www.state.gov/index.htm) 
2. Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (http://www.eng.mil.ru/en/index.htm) 

Intimidated as to how you will find and manage so many websites?

Ans: Indraprastha MUN’s very own Help Me Research portal! Here you will find portfolio-wise research links for each and every committee, so you have the best quality material at your fingertips, and know the A to Z of your portfolio!

Can I use information provided by NGOs, like Amnesty International?

No, you cannot. This is because NGOs, as the name suggests, are not under control of any government, hence their data is not verified or approved by any authority. They are independent organizations that conduct their own research, analysis and present their own interpretations, not any kind of information that is fact checked by authorities.

And sometimes, NGOs, to serve their own purpose, also manipulate data and provide incorrect data, like exaggerating the number of deaths a certain calamity caused, or undermining the government’s response to a certain situation.

PRECAUTIONS :- something you need to be careful of !

1. Always, always check the dates given in every article you seek information from. Laws are constantly amended, mortality and fertility rates fluctuate every year, and you don’t want to present stale data in the committee that does not have any relevance left in the present day.

2. Be alert of what you are reading, if an article mentions a certain incident, go ahead and read about that particular incident in depth, so you are fully aware and ready to answer any questions. 

3. If there is doubt, it is always advisable that you check the data from more than one source. Never present data that you yourself are not sure about, in the committee.

Remember, what is happening today is a fact for the future. A number today that you read in the newspaper or hear on tv is a data point for the future. So stay alert and keep your eyes and mind open to what is happening around you. If you do this, you will have these information snippets on your mind everytime you search for credible sources for an MUN and will not have to refer to google searches or research papers.