When the Theory to Practice project started, one of the first people involved in the discussions was Juliana Birkhoff. Among other ideas that surfaced in conversations between Birkhoff and project principal investigator Chris Honeyman was this one, intended to help people looking into conflict resolution research for the first time to make sense of a rapidly growing and highly diverse research base.
Many students use the Internet for preliminary searches for information.
Similarly, many students send off general requests to conflict resolution organizations and to listservs on the Internet. Unfortunately, without knowing the history, background or key concepts of the field they often come up empty handed, with introductory, second-rate, or popular information. Scholarship in any field, including conflict resolution, builds on the work of others who have gone before you. It is unlikely that you are asking an original question or proposing a novel approach to a topic. However, by looking at the scholarship of others who have gone before you, you can advance knowledge through your unique perspective on the topic.