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
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
• [email protected]– By chat– Twitter @allisonlibrary
Questions?