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Islam: Databases

A guide to library resources on Islam

Database Search Tips

AND requires all specified words to appear in each item
         e.g. hajj AND ritual*

OR    requires any of the specified words to appear in each item
         e.g. Sunni* OR Shia* OR Shiite*
                
NOT  excludes terms not desired
          e.g. Sunni* NOT Shia*
                
Combining ideas
       e.g. (Qur'an OR Koran) AND (nature OR environment* OR ecolog*)

          
  •         prioritize your concepts to begin your search with the most important one
  •         consider additional concepts to use, if necessary, to reduce or expand retrieval
  •         if the database has a thesaurus, either online or print, check for suggested terms
 

Databases

Useful MultiDisciplinary Databases

Click here for a complete list of the Library's databases in religious studies.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar Search

Having Problems?

Not finding enough material?

  •           if you have combined several concepts using AND, start again and search only the most important one. Then add the next most important  one, and so forth
  •           look at each concept and see if you can think of additional synonyms (use OR)
  •           if you are searching free-text, look at your terms carefully and think of ways to broaden your phrasing

 Finding too much material?

  •         look at a sample of the items retrieved; if a high proportion is not relevant, add another concept
  •         sometimes irrelevant records may be eliminated by NOTing out a particular aspect or population
  •         try limiting by language, date, form of material, particular field instead of free-text