LibGuides: Middle East Studies Subject Guide: Home

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Subjects: Anthropology, Anthrozoology, Arab and Islamic Studies, Criminology, Education, European Studies, Food Studies, Middle East Studies, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, Security Studies, Sociology

Library Essentials @ Exeter

Email: library@exeter.ac.uk

Where to start your search

Library Search

Search across the print and online collections for books, chapters, articles, journals and lots more.

For more in depth research in databases and archives, use the A-Z Databases List.

Expand your search with these recommended databases

Index Islamicus This link opens in a new window
Bibliographic index to journals covering all aspects of Islam and the Muslim world.
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) This link opens in a new window
An essential online resource for social science and interdisciplinary research focusing on the four core social science subjects of politics, anthropology, economics, and sociology.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
An index to the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
ATLA Religion database This link opens in a new window
An index to scholarly literature in religion and theology.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text archive of back issues of journals and e-books in all subject areas.

Chatham House Online Archive This link opens in a new window
Access to the publications and archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). Content includes international policy on business, business, economics, trade, politics, law, environment, diplomacy and security issues
Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new window
Declassified government documents covering US policy towards world events from 1945 to present.
Access to the following collections:
- China and the United States: From Hostility to Engagement, 1960-1998
- CIA Covert Operations, Part III: From Kennedy to Nixon, 1961-1974
- CIA Family Jewels Indexed
- Cuban Missile Crisis: 50th Anniversary Update
- Japan and the United States: Diplomatic, Security, and Economic Relations, 1977–1992 (Japan and the U.S., 1977-1992)
- Japan and the United States: Diplomatic, Security, and Economic Relations, Part III, 1961-2000 (Japan and the U.S., 1961-2000)
- Kissinger Conversations Supplements I & II: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Kissinger Telephone Conversations: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Kissinger Transcripts: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977
- Presidential Directives on National Security, Part I: From Truman to Clinton (Presidential Directives)
- Presidential Directives on National Security, Part II: From Truman to George W. Bush (Presidential Directives, Part II)
- President's Daily Brief: Nixon, Ford and the CIA, 1969-1977
- U.S. Intelligence and China: Collection, Analysis and Covert Action

Encyclopedia of Islam This link opens in a new window Covers current scholarship on the Islamic world, including topics around the religion itself, muslims and Islamic countries. Access to the Historical Atlas of Islam is also included.
Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān This link opens in a new window Covers qur’ānic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis, with additional commentary. Access to the Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage and the Qur'ān Concordance is also included.
New Pauly Online This link opens in a new window Full text access to the New Pauly encyclopaedia of the ancient world. Access to supplements is also included. Provides brief introductions to Classical topics and authors from Antiquity to the Middle Ages.

Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window Full text access to the Oxford Handbooks in the Archaeology, Business and Management, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion and Sociology collections.
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window Index to scholarly literature across world history from the 15th century to present day.

Christian Muslim Relations provides a bibliographic history of the two faiths. It comprises thousands of comprehensive entries on individual works and their authors, together with introductory essays to the periods and areas covered.

Shamaa This link opens in a new window A selection of journals from Arab countries, for researching literature on Middle East related issues.

Use the Databases A-Z List to access all the resources available to you.

You can browse by subject (e.g. 'Arab & Islamic Studies', 'Middle Eastern Studies' or 'Politics and International Relations') or type (e.g.Journals, News, Archives etc.) or search to find your required resource.

EBSCO resources: This help site can support you with EBSCO journal databases, including:

- ATLA Religion Database

- Index Islamicus

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences: This LibGuide can support you using the IBSS database

Web of Science: Use the Web of Science LibGuide for comprehensive support and training

I'm looking for...

A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic by Hans Wehr available via Internet Archive

Arabic Dictionary Arabic / Quarnic lexica [gawāmēs arabēyyah] and other dictionaries.

There are a number of valuable websites and resources that can access freely online, including Arab and Islamic art, images, manuscripts and newspapers. For more information and links to key sites, visit the Free Online Resources page.

News sources can be invaluable research resources.
They provide contemporaneous accounts of events as they emerge and unfold, affording a snapshot of developments at a point in time.
You can engage in historical research by tracing commentary on issues over time, to identify and track changing political, economic and social trends.
The availability of news resources online allows for very effective and comprehensive searching, in a way that was impossible with print or microfilm / microfiche editions of the newspapers

Find out more on the News LibGuide

Primary sources are documents which were created during particular historical periods, as opposed to secondary sources, which are written at a later date about particular historical periods.

Examples of primary sources are:

Government publications,
newspapers,
photographs,
original art work
diaries,
interviews,
memoirs,
letters,
manuscripts,
business records,
court cases,
census data,
speeches.

Find out more on the Primary Sources LibGuide

Official publications are documents and other resources produced by Parliament and Government during the course of parliamentary and government business.
Content ranges from statements of law and policy to government reports and statistics.
These publications can be a very valuable primary research source as they address all aspects of governmental work such as science, education, law, agriculture, transport, health etc.
Our guide also offers access to EU and International publications.

Find out more in the Official Publications LibGuide.

Effective Searching & Referencing

It is important to plan your search strategy, and manage your search results so that you get the most from your online searching.

Keep a record of all the material you need to cite in your assignments, papers, projects etc.

Use the Search Techniques and Referencing guidance to assist you.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of information available to you.

Invest time in planning an effective online search strategy so that you can quickly and easily discover relevant and high quality information.

Use the Search Techniques LibGuides for lots of hints and tips on successful online searching

As you search you need to keep track of all the material you will be using in your academic work so that you can cite and reference it appropriately.

Top Tip

Always check your module handbook for specific departmental guidance on the style required for your assessed works and dissertations. Check with your personal tutor or dissertation supervisor if you need clarification.

For more guidance take a look at:

Library's Referencing LibGuide: includes guidance on referencing styles and referencing software

Cite Them Right This link opens in a new window
Use this online referencing tool to create citations and reference lists . Cite Them Right provides comprehensive practical tips and examples on a wide range of referencing styles.

Academic Skills: Skills for Referencing online support

Find out more about the skills support available to help you develop a range of study skills including essay writing, referencing, critical reading and getting the most out of lectures.

Study Skills Support

SAGE Research Methods This link opens in a new window

Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO) is a great resource to use when you are planning and conducting your research.

It is targeted at social science researchers but is useful across all subject areas as it covers key research methodology topics that are applicable across the research spectrum.

Sage have produced a comprehensive LibGuide to help you get the best from the resource.