LibGuides: Islamic studies: Reference sources

What are reference sources?

Reference sources are resources used to locate basic information and secondary literature.

There are many types of reference sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, handbooks, guides, and style manuals.

They are a fantastic places to begin your research, especially if you are exploring a new topic.

Reference sources can help you to:

define your topic in general terms
find background information, including themes and key points
identify keywords and alternative terms for conceptualising your subject, and for database searching.

Key resources

Encyclopaedia of the Qur'An by Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Editor)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2005
An encyclopaedic dictionary of Qur'Anic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis extended with essays on the most important themes and subjects within Qur'Anic studies.
Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics by Lutz Edzard and Rudolf de Jong (Editors)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2022
The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics covers all relevant aspects of the study of Arabic and deals with all levels of the language (pre-Classical Arabic, Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic vernaculars, mixed varieties of Arabic).
The New Cambridge History of Islam by Cook, M. (General Editor) et al
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2010
A comprehensive history of Islamic civilization, tracing its development from its beginnings in seventh-century Arabia to its wide and varied presence in the globalised world of today.
Print copy available in Menzies at DS35.6 .C3 2010.
Oxford Arabic Dictionary by Oxford Dictionaries Staff (Editors)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2014
The Oxford Arabic Dictionary is the most authoritative English-Arabic / Arabic-English dictionary ever published. The dictionary boasts more than 130,000 words and phrases and 200,000 translations.
Routledge Handbook of Political Islam by Shahram Akbarzadeh (Editor)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2021
This updated, second edition of the Handbook of Political Islam, covers a range of political actors that use Islam to advance their cause. This volume also sheds light on some of the less-known experiences from South East Asia to North Africa. Drawing on expertise from some of the top scholars in the world, the chapters examine the main issues surrounding political Islam across the world.

Encyclopaedia Iranica
The Encyclopædia Iranica is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.