Welcome
Welcome to the MDST 4510 library dashboard. This dashboard provides links to a selection of resources that will be helpful in conducting research. Whether you are online or on-Grounds, UVA Library services and support are available to all students.
Your Librarian
Your Librarian is Erin Pappas
Each school/department at UVA is assigned a research librarian. 
Connect with Erin for help with your assignments. This service is available to all students. Meeting with a librarian early in your research process can help you save time and research more efficiently.
Erin can help with: locating academic sources, brainstorming research topics, developing search strategies, capstone/thesis/dissertation planning, identifying relevant databases/journals for your research and literature reviews, and citation management. Meetings take place online via Zoom, but can also be arranged for in-person.
Search Virgo
Searches materials that UVA owns and has access to. This means books and e-books, journal articles, films, images, and some primary sources. Advanced search will give you more specificity and fine-tuning.
When you find a citation in a bibliography or referenced in another work, you can look for the full text in the following places:
Virgo - Generally books and articles; only those UVA library owns
Google Scholar - Good for tracking down PDFs and chapters
Open web search - Install LibKeyNomad to surface full-text
If none of these options take you to the book or article, you can always email Erin, or try Interlibrary Loan.
Searching Virgo - Keywords and Subject Headings
Tip: Start with keyword searching until you find some good results. Then use the item record in Virgo to narrow down subject headings. This isn’t an exact science, but it is a good starting place. It can also help you to get a sense of what kinds of materials are out there, and how they categorize your subject.
Research Methods
- How to Use Sources: The BEAM MethodIn discussing the usefulness of different types of sources, we find it is helpful to use the BEAM method, developed by Joseph Bizup, BEAM stands for: Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method.
- Sage Research Methods Online This link opens in a new windowSage Research Methods is a methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher.
- Sage Research Project PlannerThis tool is designed to guide you through your research project. First, think about what stage you're at in your research. If you've already gotten started, click on the stage below that best describes where you are. If you're just starting out, it might be helpful to read more about why we do research before getting started.
- Research paper plannerThe Assignment Calculator breaks down research and writing projects into manageable steps based on your due dates.
- Dissertation PlannerMore advanced version of research planner. Breaks down research and writing projects into manageable steps based on your due dates.
- Sage Research Methods MapThis visualization demonstrates how methods are related and connects users to relevant content.
- ZoteroZotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you
collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research.
Ask a Librarian
Search for academic articles
Academic databases contain peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, reviews, reports, and more.
These selected databases provide an entry point into core disciplines relevant to AI, Media Studies, and society.
- ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new windowCitations and full-text of articles from ACM journals, newsletters, and conference proceedings relating to the computing industry.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowCommunication & Mass Media Complete provides coverage of journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study.
- Computers & Applied Sciences Complete This link opens in a new windowJournals and other reference sources covering engineering and the business and social aspects of new technology as well as computer theory and systems.
- Computer and Information Systems Abstracts This link opens in a new windowPart of the Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection. Lists journal articles, conference proceedings, tech reports, patents, books, and industry news on topics such as artificial intelligence, information systems, computer applications/programming, hardware, software engineering and mathematics of computing.
- Education Full Text (1983-present) This link opens in a new windowArticles and reviews from English-language periodicals and yearbooks about all aspects of education.
- IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new windowFind articles and other information from the journals, proceedings and standards published by IEEE and by the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Full-text is from 1988 to present with some selected earlier content.
API available, more information here: APIs for Scholarly Research
- Library Literature Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndexes journals,proceedings and books on libraries, information science, copyright, publishing, and the history of the book. Includes book reviews. Full text of selected journals begins with 1994.
- Social Science and Humanities Library This link opens in a new windowAccess to a broad range of journal content across 14 disciplines related to social sciences and humanities, including media and communication studies, library and information science, security and defense studies, business, management and economics, and education.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSocINDEX with Full Text offers comprehensive coverage of sociology, encompassing all sub-disciplines and closely related areas of study.
Reference materials
- Annual Reviews This link opens in a new windowAnnual Reviews offers comprehensive, timely collections of critical reviews written by leading scientists. There are 51 areas of study covered by the Complete Collection of Annual Reviews, including STEM-H topics such as chemistry, biomedical engineering, and immunology, as well as social science disciplines such as criminology, law, and economics.
- Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new windowDeveloped cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides to a variety of subjects. UVa subscribes to all subjects.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Handbooks Online brings together leading scholars to discuss research and the latest thinking on a range of major topics. Each Handbook offers thorough introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship in a particular field of study, creating an original conception of the field and setting the agenda for new research. The articles review the key issues and major debates, and provide an original argument for how those debates might evolve. UVa has access to all subjects.
- Sage Knowledge Books & Reference Collection This link opens in a new windowProvides access to thousands of eBook and eReference titles, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, and professional development titles.
- Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new windowOxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects — from Public Health to Buddhist Ethics, Soft Matter to Classics, and Art History to Globalization. Each volume provides an authoritative and engaging assessment of a concept, field, or body of work, drawing out the central ideas, themes, and approaches.
Access to: Arts & Humanities, Law, Medicine & Health, Science & Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
Policy and NGOs
- Policy Commons This link opens in a new windowDatabase for public policy. Includes more than 3 million reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media drawn from a directory of more than 21,000 IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, and research centers.
API available, more information here: APIs for Scholarly Research - Policy File Index This link opens in a new windowPolicy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research in that it grants users access to timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities. Over 75 public policy topics are covered, from foreign policy to domestic policy. The majority of Policy File Index records link directly to the full-text report, paper, document, or other source.
- Think Tank SearchThink Tank Search searches the websites of institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. These sites are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, and non-governmental organizations. The list represents a mixture of partisan and non-partisan think tanks.
Find and use data
- Polling the Nations This link opens in a new windowText of and responses to over 35,000 survey questions from over 14,000 polls taken in the US and 80 other countries since 1986.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista.com consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources.