Middle East Studies: Articles

A Word about Article Databases:

• There are many types of databases: databases with full-text articles, databases with citations and abstracts, and databases that are only citations.
• Full-text articles databases may be current subscriptions, archival (i.e. not current), or a combination.
• Some databases will give you direct access to the article, while others will require you to use UCe-links. But many articles will be available to you online
• A full-text database to which you may be referred because it contains many Middle East-related journals is JSTOR Please be aware that JSTOR is an archival database and does not contain the most current volumes/issues..
• You need to remember that each database has a finite number of journal titles, so you will not be searching the broad universe of journals.

Abstracta Iranica

• DS251 .A27
• Current subscription; publication years are usually in arrears

Bibliotheca orientalis

• Z3013 .B5
• Current subscription

Index to Jewish Periodicals

• REF Z6367 .I5
• Current subscription

Once you have found the article(s) you want to use, you will need to have access to the journal in which it appears. In online databases, most journals will be available in electronic format -- PDF or HTM -- or through UCe-Links.

UCe-Links will guide you to an electronic version of the article or direct you to do a search in the UCSB Online catalog or Melvyl for the actual print version if an electronic version is not available.

Here is another source which might help you identify which print journals and issues are held by various libraries (mostly in North America)

OACIS for the Middle East

• Yale University Library
• "A union list of serials from or about the Middle East ... [found] in libraries in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East"

Academic Search Complete (1984+)

• One of the most comprehensive article indexes covering all fields
• Very current
• Many full-text articles

Directory of Open Access Journals

• Free online scholarly journals

Social Science Databases via ProQuest

• Covers many databases in the social sciences, included among these is the most important for Middle Eastern Studies: Index Islamicus
• Use * to truncate
• Click on Peer-reviewed tab to get academic journals
• Use Get it at UC to find the items
• Check out DESCRIPTORS for further searching

Web of Science

• Don't be fooled by the name. This contains citation indexes for the arts, humanities & the social sciences

Index Islamicus 

• Always the best place to start
• Covers widest amount of journals (and books since 1981)concerning the Middle East
• Includes materials in many languages
• Use * to truncate
• Click on Peer-reviewed tab to get academic journals
• Use Get it at UC to find the items

RAMBI Index of Articles on Jewish Studies

• A selective bibliography of articles in the various fields of Jewish studies
• Includes articles dealing with the Middle East as well as Jewish Studies
• Indexes materials in a variety of languages and scripts (e.g. Hebrew)
• Use * to truncate
• There are NO Get it at UC links. If the citation indicates "fulltext" and the Library subscribes to the journal, you will be able to access the article by clicking on the link. Otherwise, to find the items cited you will need to copy the citation and then look it up in UCSB Library Search or Melvyl

Middle East and Africa (MIDA): a Reference Corporation World Area Studies Database   a bibliographic and fulltext database that provides area coverage (especially for political development, social development, foreign policy, economic development, investment, oil and petrochemicals, trade and technological industries) for the Middle East, North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Arabs, Iranians, Turks and Africans worldwide, including in Europe and North and South America. The database is designed to provide easy bibliographic and fulltext access to journals, newspapers, conference proceedings, press releases, books, manuals, magazines, and ephemera. Previously available in print as Middle East: Abstracts and Index.

Directory of Free Arab Journals

• Free online scholarly journals in Arabic
• Website is available only in Arabic

Turkiye Makaleler Bibliyografyasi

ATLA Religion Index

• General religious and theological literature, particularly Western religion

Religious and Theological Abstracts 

• Provides objective summaries of articles appearing in scholarly journals in the fields of Religion and Theology. Database lists a wide variety of periodical literature. Emphasis is mainly on Christianity and Judaism, but does include Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, (and other world religions) and new religious movements. Provides English language abstracts of articles in English, Hebrew, and major European languages. Also indexes and abstracts articles in the fields of sociology, anthropology, criminology, demography, education, law and penology, race relations, social psychology, and urban studies.

Anthropology Plus (1900+)

• Sometimes good for non-Western cultures and traditions

Bibliography of Asian Studies (1971+)

• Key resources for Asian and East Asian studies

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)

• Full-text working papers from research institutes, NGOs, foundations, and proceedings from conferences
• Use * to truncate

Historical Abstracts (1967+)

• World history not including US and Canada

MLA International Bibliography

Sociological Abstracts

• Abstracts only; no full-text articles
• Extensive database of sociological research