MCC LIBRARY RESOURCES

PHI 262, Foundational Religious Texts

Interpreting the Quran

This guide has been prepared by the MCC reference librarians to assist you with research for your class. If you need further assistance, please stop by the reference desk to consult with a librarian.

Reference Sources

Reference Sources are a good place to start your research. They can give you a concise overview of your topic, background information, facts & statistics, plus help you define and spell words, and focus your topic. Reference Sources include both books located in the Reference Collection and databases accessible on the Library Web Site under the link Reference Databases.

Call Number Title

REF BP109 1997

The Meaning of the Holy Quran

REF BP109 1991

The Holy Quran: Arabic Text, English Translation and Commentary

REF BP109.K45 1990

The Koran

REF BP40.G42 2002

The New Encyclopedia of Islam

REF BP150.I2 1997

Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law

Reference Databases:

Some reference sources are available not only in print, but also online through the library web site. These sources often combine a variety of information found in other sources. They are full-text, and most are available off-campus with passwords you may obtain from the Reference Desk. Some of the reference databases useful for this subject area are listed below:

Database Name

Vendor Name

Daily Life Online

Greenwood Publishing Group
Literary Reference Center EbscoHost
Oxford Reference Online Oxford

 

Books & Media

The Stacks contain books and audiovisual items that may be borrowed or "checked out" of the library. These resources are useful when you need a more in-depth study of a topic than can be provided in reference sources alone. Use the Library's Online Catalog to determine what resources are available on your topic and the call number and location in the library. If our library does not own the necessary resources for your research needs, you may request additional items be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Possible search terms to use for your topic are:

Sample Keyword Searches

Sample Subject Headings

Koran or Quran

Koran

Koran and Women

Islam

Hadith

Koran Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Sharia or Shariah

Koran Commentaries

Article Databases

Periodicals consist of popular magazines, newspapers, trade and scholarly journals. Magazine & newspaper articles can be good sources to use for very current information, to focus on specific topics or aspects of a topic, to find reviews, and for opinions. Trade journals are helpful to follow trends and career opportunities within a field, and to find practical tips and techniques to use "on the job". Scholarly journals give details of actual research studies that have been conducted and/or scholarly treatment of discipline specific topics. All of these resources can be located using the article databases located on the library web site.

Recommended Databases for periodical articles

Database Name Vendor Name

Academic Search Premier

EBSCO

Article First

FirstSearch

JSTOR

JSTOR

ProQuest

ProQuest

Passwords to access the library databases from off-campus are available on the pink handout MCC Library Database Chart. If you have not received this handout, please ask for it at the Reference Desk.

Internet Resources

Recommended web sites for this subject are listed below. For additional web sites on this subject, refer to MCC Library's Web Sites by Subject link on the library web site.

Web Site Address

Islam and Islamic Studies Resources

http://www.uga.edu/islam/

Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies

http://www.uib.no/jais/

Al-Tawid: A Quarterly Journal of Islamic Thought and Culture

http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/


Remember to carefully evaluate information found on the Internet. Unlike most traditional print sources, Internet sources may not go through any review process before the information is made available to the public. Anyone can create and publish a web site. If you need help evaluating your sources, please ask at the Reference Desk for guidance. For critieria to use to evaluate your sources refer to our handout on Evaluating Sources. It is available at the Reference Desk.

http://www.mchenry.edu/library