In-Class Exercises
- Online Thinking ToolBrainstorming exercise to develop your topic and keywords
Librarian
Virgo
Virgo is the UVA Library catalog. Use Virgo to search material the UVA Library owns, like books, films, and Special Collections manuscripts, as well as some of the articles we have access to.
General Databases
These databases search across many different subjects and fields, and can be a great place to start your research.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowLarge general database of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers on many topics. Also includes reference books (World Almanac, American Heritage Dictionary), biographies, speeches, images, and other primary source documents.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR provides access to millions of journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. The Archive Journal Collection is included.
Subject-Specific Databases
These are just a few of the many databases the UVA Library offers that contain material in a specific subject area - for example, film or history. These resources generally contain scholarly or academic sources.
Use Subject Guides in your areas of interest to identify additional databases as needed.
- Film & Television Literature Index This link opens in a new windowFinds reviews of films and articles on theory, preservation and restoration, writing, production, cinematography, and technical aspects of both film and television in the US and internationally.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowCommunication & Mass Media Complete searches journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study.
- America: History & Life (1964-present) This link opens in a new windowCovers the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to present with records from 2,000 English-language journals published worldwide. Includes book reviews.
- MLA International Bibliography (Ebsco) This link opens in a new windowMLA IB searches articles, essays, and books about literature (including films), linguistics, and folklore.
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new windowPolitical Science Complete searches journal articles about comparative politics, humanitarian issues, international relations, law and legislation, non-governmental organizations and political theory.
- 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.
Other Resources
- ZoteroFree, professional-level citation management software that keeps track of your sources and generates citations for you.
- How Do I...Tutorials on using UVA Library resources and doing research.
- How to Read Academic PapersThis 3-minute video introduces you to the techniques involved in reading scholarly literature.