Welcome
Welcome to the GSMS 4991 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
- Getting Started with VirgoUse the link above to open a full-screen version of the PDF below.
- Navigating VirgoInteractive guide to Virgo navigation.
Core journals
- Arab Studies Journal2007 - present
- International Journal of Middle East Studies1998 - present
- Journal of Islamic Studies1998 - present
- Middle Eastern Studies1997 - present
- Middle East Journal1947 - 2019
Find and use data
- International Historical Statistics, 1750-2010 This link opens in a new windowUnique collection of statistics covering a wide range of socio-economic topics. IHS is a collection of data sets taken from hundreds of disparate primary sources, including both official national and international abstracts. Content is divided into three geographical areas: (1) Africa, Asia, Oceania, (2) Americas, and (3) Europe. Tables can be downloaded in Excel format.
- NationMaster This link opens in a new windowAn extensive compilation of political, social, economic, environmental, etc. data on nations from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Can map and graphically compare data on countries as well as individual country profiles.
- 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.
- UN DataEconomics, health, finance, debt, country and regional profiles, consumer pricing, energy, trade, crime, gender, environment, and many more.
- World Development IndicatorsWorld Bank collection of development indicators on topics such as gender, finance, education, debt, economics, health, and GDP.
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 (anthropology, business and economics, education, politics, sociology) relevant to Middle East and South Asian Studies.
- Anthropology Plus (1890-present) This link opens in a new windowFind articles, reports, and other materials on social, cultural, physical, biological and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture and interdisciplinary studies.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowTopics such as marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Find articles plus financial data, books, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, market, industry, and country reports, company profiles, and SWOT analyses.
- EconLit This link opens in a new windowInternational coverage of economics in journal articles, books, dissertations, book reviews.
- Education Full Text (1983-present) This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles and reviews from English-language periodicals and yearbooks about all aspects of education. From 1994 has abstracts, from 1996 has full text of major articles from selected journals. See Education Index Retro for 1929-1983.
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new windowSubject coverage includes comparative politics, humanitarian issues, international relations, law and legislation, non-governmental organizations and political theory.
- Social Science and Humanities Library This link opens in a new windowAccess a broad range of journal content across 14 disciplines related to social sciences and humanities.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowComprehensive coverage of sociology, encompassing all sub-disciplines and closely related areas of study.
Selected regional studies databases relevant to Middle East & South Asian Studies.
- ATLA Religion Database with ATLA Serials This link opens in a new windowLists articles on all aspects of religious studies from journals in many disciplines. Includes citations to book chapters and to book reviews. ATLASerials adds the full text of many journals.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies (1971-present) This link opens in a new windowLists journal articles and book chapters on all subjects related to Asia. Most articles are in western languages. Includes book reviews.
- Digital South Asia Library This link opens in a new windowThe Digital South Asia Library provides digital materials for reference and research on South Asia to scholars, public officials, business leaders, and other users.
- Index Islamicus This link opens in a new windowSearch for books and articles in periodicals about Islam and the Muslim world. Also includes reviews.
Reference materials
- Annual Reviews This link opens in a new windowAnthropology, economics, finance, law, linguistics, political science, public health, resource economics, and sociology.
- Encyclopaedia Islamica This link opens in a new windowBased on the abridged and edited translation of the Persian Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif-i Buzurg-i Islāmī, one of the most comprehensive sources on Islam and the Muslim world.
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three (EI3) This link opens in a new windowThe Third Edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam is an entirely new and still unfinished work. It aims to provide short, up-to-date and accessible articles on many topics which are either not covered in EI2, or for which the EI2 articles are outdated. The new scope includes comprehensive coverage of Islam in the twentieth century and of Muslim minorities all over the world. EI3 does not replace EI2, which is more detailed and still authoritative; rather, the two should be used together.
- Encyclopaedia Judaica This link opens in a new windowComprehensive encyclopedia with over 21,000 entries on all aspects of Jewish life, culture, history, and religion.
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa This link opens in a new windowCovers the modern history of the Middle East and North Africa, including Colonialism and Imperialism, the World Wars, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Articles on each country detail its population, economy and government.
- 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 windowEach Handbook offers thorough introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship in a particular field of study. The articles review the key issues and major debates, and provide an original argument for how those debates might evolve.
- 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.
Policy and NGOs
- Council on Foreign RelationsCFR is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that publishes on foreign policy.
- Find PolicyA side project of Transparify, search think tank sites grouped by topic and location.
- Open Research Reports from JSTORMore than 39,000 research reports from over 140 policy institutes around the world are freely accessible to everyone on JSTOR. The open research reports are discoverable alongside journals, books, and primary sources, and are clearly labeled as their own content type.
- Open Think Tank DirectoryA global collection of think tanks and related organizations.
- 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.