Subject Guides - Religious Studies

Religious Studies

Below are some suggested databases for Religious Studies.

Databases

Core Databases

ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials (EBSCO)

Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials combines the premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion and theology.
 

EBSCOhost Religion and Philosophy Collection

Religion & Philosophy Collection is an essential full-text database for theology and philosophy research. It includes hundreds of full-text journals and magazines covering many religious and philosophical topics, including world religions, religious history, political philosophy and philosophy of language.
 

Multidisciplinary Databases

EBSCOhost Academic Search Elite

Covering all major academic disciplines, Academic Search Elite is a rich resource spanning a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals.

Project Muse Premium Collection

The Premium Collection is MUSE’s foremost collection of high quality, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journals in the humanities and social sciences.

Journals

Core Journals

Journal of Biblical Literature

The Journal of Biblical Literature (JBL) is a quarterly periodical that promotes critical and academic biblical scholarship. Bringing the highest level of technical expertise to bear on the canon, cognate literature, and the historical matrix of the Bible, JBL has stood at the centre of communication among biblical scholars in North America for the past 125 years. The articles and reviews published by JBL reflect the range of methods, models, and interests used and pursued by working sections, groups, and seminars of the Society of Biblical Literature.



Review of Religious Research

The Review of Religious Research is a quarterly journal that reviews the various methods, findings and uses of religious research. It contains a variety of articles, book reviews and reports on research projects. It is published by the Religious Research Association and was founded in 1959.



Sociology of Religion

Sociology of Religion, the official journal of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, is published quarterly for the purpose of advancing scholarship in the sociological study of religion. The journal publishes original (not previously published) work of exceptional quality and interest related to the sociological study of religion from all parts of the world without regard to substantive focus, theoretical orientation, or methodological approach. Although theoretically ambitious, empirically grounded articles are the core of what we publish, we also publish agenda setting essays, critical reflections on the research act, and interventions into substantive areas or theoretical debates intended to push the field forward.



Studies in Religion

Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses is a peer-reviewed, bilingual academic quarterly, serving scholars who work in a wide range of sub-fields in religious studies and theological studies. It publishes scholarly articles of interest to specialists, but written so as to be intelligible to other scholars who wish to keep informed of current scholarship. It also features articles that focus, in a timely and critically reflective manner, on intellectual, professional and institutional issues in the scholarly study of religion, as well as notices that inform scholars of activities and developments in religious studies and theological studies across Canada and throughout the world.



Using Journals Through the Catalogue vs. Journals Found on the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using journal articles you’ve found on the internet, there’s plenty of high quality information out there. But, there are a few things you should know about Academic, Open Access, and Predatory journals before you start.
 



Reference Resources

Encyclopedias

Encyclopaedia of science and religion

Print resource: REF BL240.3 .E53 2003
 

Encyclopaedia of women and world religion

Print resource: REF BL458 .E53 1999
 

Encyclopaedia Judaica

Print resource: REF DS102.8 .E496 1972
 

The encyclopaedia of Judaism

Print resource: REF BM50 .E63 1999
 

Handbooks

Who's who in Christian history

Print resource: REF BR1700.2 W47 1992
 

The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology

Print resource: BX1751.3 .O94 2019
 

The Oxford handbook of biblical studies

Print resource: BS511.3 .O94 2006 

Books

Physical Collections

  • BL1-2790 Religions. Mythology. Rationalis
  • BL51-65 Philosophy of religion. Psychology of religion. Religion
  • BL70-71 Sacred books (General)
  • BL175-265 Natural theology
  • BL660-2680 History and principles of religion
  • BM1-990 Judaism 
  • BP1-610 Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc
  • BQ1-9800 Buddhis
  • BR1-1725 Christianit
  • BS1-2970 The Bible
  • BT10-1480 Doctrinal Theology

Keywords

  • Iconograph
  • Soteriolog
  • Spiritualit
  • Denominatio
  • Theis
  • Belief and doub
  • Idols and image
  • Religion and law

Subjects

  • Religion — Study and teachin
  • Religion and sociolog
  • Religious education — Social aspect
  • Christian education of childre
  • Theology in literatur
  • Judaism — Histor
  • Islam — Histor
  • Buddhism — Histor
  • Hinduism — History

Web Resources

Citing & Writing

Citation Styles

APS (American Physical Society)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

Council of Science Editors Style Guide

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

Chicago/Turabian

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

IEEE Style Manual (PDF)

This style is commonly used for Electrical and Computer Engineering.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

Other Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.

Research Tips

Primary Articles

Original Research Articles

These are articles reporting on original research and include elements such as a hypothesis, background studies, literature reviews, detailed methodologies, results, interpretations of findings, and discussions on possible implications and future research. Original research articles are typically longer, ranging from 3, 000 – 12, 000 words. These articles are peer reviewed and cite relevant publications from other authors that relate to the research being conducted.
 

Case Studies

These articles report on the in-depth study of a specific person, group, or event. They are used in a variety of fields such as psychology, medicine, education, political science, and social work in order to seek patterns and causes of behaviour.
 

Secondary Articles

Literature Reviews

A literature review is a systematic summary and synthesis of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. They frequently convey what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, as well as critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the field. They will often lack a ‘Methods’ section, though they are often peer reviewed.
 

Systematic Reviews

These reviews are often designed to provide an exhaustive summary of current evidence in relation to a specific research question, synthesize findings qualitatively or quantitatively, and critically appraise research studies. Systematic reviews use rigorous and transparent review methodologies with the aim of assessing and minimizing bias in the findings.
 

Meta-analyses

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies addressing the same question. The primary aim is to use statistical analyses to determine common truths. Meta-analyses can be part of a broader systematic review.
 

Special Articles

Including letters to the editor, correspondences, short communications, editorials, pictorial essays
 

Tertiary/ Gray Literature

Broadly speaking, gray literature is information produced outside of the traditional academic publishing and distribution systems such as academic journals and monographs. Gray literature can include reports, policies, working papers, newsletters, speeches, government documents, and more.

As grey literature is produced directly by an individual or organization, for their own either use or wider sharing, it is often more current than academic publications as it is not subject to the delays found in traditional publishing processes.

As grey literature does not go through a rigorous peer review process the quality can vary significantly, and it is recommended that these sources be critically evaluated.

Technical reports

These can include scientific studies conducted by Government agencies and NGO which are often not peer reviewed. These types of reports can be found in both scholarly databases and freely on the web.