Search Tips
Good searching can shorten your research time significantly. Here are some tips from the pros:
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Use quotation marks around a phrase to inform the search engine to look for exactly the phrase you enter- for example "ice bucket challenge" or "United States" or "cultural appropriation".
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When searching for a keyword with multiple variations (ex. "child", "children", "childhood", etc.) use the root form of the word and add an asterisk (*). This means using child* will retrieve items that have all variations-- "child", "children", "childhood".
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Vary your search strategy! Try different search terms, explore a variety of databases and resources.
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Use the built-in database filters to focus your results. Most interfaces let you limit by publication date, subject, format and more
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Finally, ZSR Librarians are very skilled in helping you find the best search for your topic - so get in touch with us when you need help!
Getting Started with Background Sources
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes a topic finder for help with narrowing or broadening your research topic. Coverage: varies
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes subject trees, pro/con resources, links to scholarly articles and more.
- Oxford Bibliographies: Islamic Studies This link opens in a new windowOxford Bibliographies Online are authoritative, scholar-developed research guides covering a variety of subject areas. They combine features of an annotated bibliography and a subject encyclopedia, guiding researchers to the best available scholarship on the topic.
Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9781414418896Publication Date: 2007-10-12
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780199764464Publication Date: 2013-10-16
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780195305135Publication Date: 2009-04-03
Search the Library Catalog
- ZSR Library Catalog This link opens in a new windowSearch ZSR to find books, book chapters, articles, and more!
SELECTED TITLES
Modern Arabic Literature by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780511519659Publication Date: 2012-05-28Authoritative, comprehensive critical survey of creative writing in Arabic from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Quoted material is given in English translation, and there is an extensive bibliography.
The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle-Eastern and North African History by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780199672530Publication Date: 2021-01-30
The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Women by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780190638771Publication Date: 2023-12-14This multi-disciplinary work emphasizes the diversity present in Muslim women's lives, both in the pre-modern and modern periods. Close attention is paid to the historical and political contexts that have shaped their lives.
Article Databases
Search for your work's title or author to find literary criticism, analysis, and other discussions of that work.
- Gale Literature This link opens in a new windowSearch across literary biography, literary criticism, genre studies, reviews, and primary sources across thousands of Gale publications. Good starting point for doing any kind of research in English literature. Coverage: varies
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowA full-text database of archived issues of academic journals. Since JSTOR is a backfiles project, a typical coverage range is the beginning of a journal until three or five years ago. Supported in part by the Dail Endowment Fund. Coverage: Varies
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowContains articles, books, chapters of books, conference proceedings, dissertations, and working papers on topics relating to literature, modern languages, folklore, and linguistics. Coverage: 1926-
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowProvides access to the full text of scholarly journals and books in the arts and humanities and social sciences. Coverage: Varies
- ProQuest Middle East & Africa Database This link opens in a new windowProvides ongoing full-text academic journals that are locally published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in many Middle Eastern and African countries.
History & Social Science Librarian
