Bridging the Gap: Theological Research - Resources and Terminology

Bridging the Gap:Theological Research

- Resources and Terminology

Introduction

• Myth: “Everything is freely available

on the Internet”

• Fact: Many (most) scholarly

resources found either in print or through subscription-based databases

Agenda

• About the Library• Highlight - Reference research

resources• Library website• Catalogue searching • Internet resources (not journals)• Journal articles (very brief)• UBC Library• Additional help: EMPOWER

About the (JRA) Allison Library

• Membership• Reciprocal borrowing privileges• Loan periods• Returning items• Renewals• Recalled items• Fees• Hours

Reference research tools

Print• Atlases (Bible)• Book Reviews etc. See theoreference.ca • Bible (versions, interlinear, parallel)• Commentaries (devotional / exegetical)• Concordances• Dictionaries & Encyclopedia• Handbooks (manuals, almanacs)

Online• Routledge Religion (JRA)• UBC Library• Other Internet sources

Reference research tools

Search results page for Atheism as a Subject

Results page – following Atheism link

Boolean operators: And, Or, Not

Atheism AND ReformationAND NARROWS the search

Atheism OR ReformationOR BROADENS the search

Atheism NOT ReformationNOT LIMITS the search

Use NOT with caution

Combining Boolean OperatorsRefine a search by grouping synonyms

For example

1. Christian AND (justice OR ethics) 2. (Christian OR Mennonite) AND (justice OR ethics)

Search strategies: Wildcards & TruncationAtheism and reform*

* = wild card for any letters after the “m” will search for . . . – Reforms– Reformed– Reformation– Reforming

Women, Woman, Womyn

Use “?” as a wild card

e.g. Wom?n

Sample / example

Questions about tools and/or using the catalogue?

• Journals (scholarly aka peer-reviewed vs popular)

• Journal Indexes & Databases• Print• Electronic

– Citations • (source only: author, title etc.)

– Abstracts • (short comment on articles contents)

– Full Text (hardcopy, PDF or HTML)

Journal articles: Indexes & Databases

• EBSCO databases (five):• ATLA Serials

• main database for theology and religion • New Testament Abstracts (NTA)• Old Testament Abstracts (OTA)• Catholic Periodical Literature Index (COLI)• Christian Periodical Index (CPI)

• ProQuest Religion:• Smaller database than ATLA but full text

• Religious and Theological Abstracts (RTA)• Some overlap with above sources

• Cambridge, Sage, Oxford Journals (some)• TREN (Theological Research Exchange

Network)• Theses and Dissertations

Allison Library subscribes to:

eResources • eBooks• Journals• Indexes • Databases

NEW!A – Z

=A to Z

Remote Access: Ezproxy

Five commonly used out of over 880 databases:

• Academic Search Complete:– Multi-disciplinary includes some religion and theology– Almost all full-text

• JSTOR: – multi-disciplinary generally providing a back run – All full-text

• Philosopher’s Index:– Abstracts from books and journals of philosophy

• PsychINFO and 3 other Psych databases:– Citations and summaries from psychology-related journals– Largely full-text

• MLA: – For literature– No full-text

UBC Library Indexes & Databases

UBC Journal & Indexes Access

X

IF you have an Article title and Journal title

AND the article is NOT available in full text through our databases

THEN does UBC have full-text access?

Go to UBC Library > Advanced Search

UBC Library: article finding tool

FIRST check the Allison, VST, & St. Marks

libraries (Theolog)

UBC Library: Interlibrary Loans

Then go to UBC Library

Use the LibraryBorrowing ServicesBorrowing from non-

UBC Libraries (ILL)

Internet Resources: Links & Portals

Web (Internet) Research• Theological Resources

– theoreference.ca

• Allison Library website: – Links to various reputable websites (Theological links) – Wabash center (JRA link or

www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/guide_headings.aspx– Guides

• Wikipedia: pros and cons– Can be useful for overview BUT check the facts!!

Additional help• EMPOWER (tutorial)

– Go to the Allison Library website • Help • Research Tutorial (Empower)

• Reference Librarian– In person at the reference desk– By phone 604.221.3341– By email

• reference@regent-college.edu– By chat– Twitter @allisonlibrary

Questions?