Map of the world by Al-Idrisi in 1154, with south at top -- Library of Congress

This page is a guide to researching medieval Islamic civilization for HIST 337 at UMW. I recommend bookmarking this page.

Here are the requirements for the research paper, as described in the syllabus:

A 10-12 page term paper covering a topic of your choice is due towards the end of the semester. It is expected that this paper will display students' knowledge of critical apparatus and scholarly notation. Research sources can consist of internet entries, books, periodicals, music, art, etc. -- with full notation. As writing a solid paper is a process, parts of the assignment is requested earlier in the semester.

For more information about the assignment, see this document:

Your paper should be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Simpson Library provides a guide to Chicago style:

In class today, please find five sources for your topic, either primary or secondary, that you have not seen before today. Then, show those five sources to me or to Dr. Al-Tikriti.

• You're not committing to using these five sources in your bibliography or your final paper -- you're just finding possibilities today.
• I recommend that you start with an overview of your topic, or of the context surrounding your topic. Read through the overview, and write down words you could use as search terms. You might also want to write down the titles of sources cited in the overview.

When you find a good source, save it so you can get back to it later. Here are some ways to save sources:

• Download a PDF to your computer.
• Bookmark a URL.
• Write down a title.
• Check out a physical book.

Feel free to leave this room to browse the shelves or to check out books, but remember to come back to show us what you found.