Outline of this guide: Reference Works Primary Sources Books Articles

Other useful links: Book Review Sources Course Reserves/E-Reserves for this class Narrowing or Broadening a Topic RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner Scholarly Articles: How to Identify Them

• Reference Universe
  Don't know where to begin? Try Reference Universe, an index of the indexes in many of the library's reference books and e-books. Reference Universe will tell you which titles contain information on your topic.
• Notable Works
  Biographical Sources | Encyclopedias & Dictionaries | Publisher Information | Yearbooks and Statistical Sources
  • Biographical Sources
    You can also find biographical information in encyclopedias and dictionaries (see below).
    • American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
      Reference R 920.073 A512
    • Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson, 2003- .
    • Credo Reference: Biographical Sources
      This subset of Credo Reference includes the full text of 11 biographical reference titles.
    • Directory of American Scholars. Lancaster, PA: Science Press, 1942- .
      Reference R 923.7 D59
      Library has: 1942 to present
    • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004.
      Reference R 920 N2111
  • Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
    • Contemporary American Religion. Ed. Wade Clark Roof. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2000.
      Reference R 200.973 C761
    • Credo Reference: Religion Resources
      A collection of electronic reference books; useful for quick answers to questions. For more detailed information, be sure to consult the Gale Virtual Reference Library too.
    • Encyclopedia of Christianity. Ed. Erwin Fahlbusch et al. 5 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999- .
      Reference R 230.03 E92
      Note: This set is still being published. The Library currently has volumes 1-3.
    • Encyclopedia of Islam. Ed. H.A.R. Gibb et al. New ed. 11 vols. to date. Leiden: Brill, 1960- .
      Reference R 956.03 E56
    • Encyclopedia of Judaism. Ed. Ed. Jacob Neusner et al. 4 vols. Boston: Brill, 2005.
      Reference R 296.03 E563
    • Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Ed. Daniel Ludlow. 5 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
      Reference R 289.3 E56
    • Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Ed. Peter Clarke. New York: Routledge, 2006. Reference R 299.9 E56
    • Gale Virtual Reference Library
      A collection of over 120 full-text reference e-books. Includes:
      • Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. 22 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan, 2007.
      • Encyclopedia of American Religions. Ed. J. Gordon Melton. 7th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2003.
        Reference R 200.973 M528e 2003
      • Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Ed. H. James Birx. 5 vols. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006.
      • Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Ed. Robert Buswell, Jr. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2004.
      • Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. Ed. Richard Martin. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2004.
      • Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald Borchert. 2nd ed. 10 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2006.
      • Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. 15 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2005.
        Reference R 203 E562
      • Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development. Ed. Elizabeth Dowling and George Scarlett. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006.
      • Encyclopedia of Sociology. Ed. Edgar F. Borgetta. 2nd ed. 5 vols. New York: Academic Press, 2001.
        Reference R 301.03 E561 2000
      • New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. 15 vols. Washington, DC: Catholic Univ., 2003.
        Reference R 282 C36n2
      • New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Horowitz. 6 vols. Detroit, MI: Scribner's, 2005.
        Reference R 901.9 D554 2005
        See also the first edition, the Dictionary of the History of Ideas, edited by Philip P. Wiener (5 vols.; New York: Scribner, 1973-1974), shelved in Reference at call number R 901.9 D554.
    • Historical Dictionary of...
      • Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Günther Gassmann. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2001.
        Reference R 284.1 G253h
      • Historical Dictionary of Methodism. Ed. Charles Yrigoyen, Jr. and Susan Warrick. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2005.
        Reference R 287 H673
      • Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. George Chryssides. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2001.
        Reference R 291 C558h
      • Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. W.H. McLeod. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2005.
        Reference R 294.6 M165h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1999.
        Reference R 286 B797h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith. Hugh Adamson and Philip Hainsworth. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1998.
        Reference R 197.9 A221h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Quakers). Margery Post Abbott et al. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2003.
        Reference R 289.6 A133h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Reformed Churches. Robert Benedetto et al. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1999.
        Reference R 284.2 B462h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists. Gary Land. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2005.
        Reference R 286.7 L253h
      • Historical Dictionary of the Shakers. Holley Gene Duffield. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2000.
        Reference R 289.8 D857h
      • Historical Dictionary of Taoism. Julian Pas. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1998.
        Reference R 199.51 P277h
      • Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism. Mark Harris. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2004.
        Reference R 289.1 H315h
    • Religion Past & Present: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion. Ed. Hans Dieter Betz et al. Boston: Brill, 2007- .
      Reference R 200 R382-T
    Barrett et al. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York: Oxford, 2001.
    Reference R 203 W927 2001
  • Publisher Information
    • Directory. American Association of University Presses. New York: AAUP, 2007.
      Reference R 070.5 A849d 2007
    • International Literary Market Place. New York: Bowker.
      Reference Desk R 655.4 I61
      Library has: current edition
    • Literary Market Place: LMP. New York: Bowker.
      Reference Desk R 655.4 L776
      Library has: current edition
  • Yearbooks and Statistical Sources
    • American Jewish Year Book. Philadelphia, PA: American Jewish Committee, 1899- .
      Reference R 296 A51
      Library has: 1962-1992, 1994 to present
    • Europa World: The Europa World Year Book Online. London: Europa, 1959- .
      The online edition contains current data and information. The Library also has print versions of the Europa World Year Book from 1959 to present (Reference R 341.1 E89).
    • Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States 2000. Dale Jones et al. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center, 2002.
      Reference R 200.973 R3821 2000
      Earlier volumes include:
      • Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1990. Martin Bradley et al. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center, 1992.
        Reference R 200.973 R3821 1990
      • Churches and Church Membership in the United States, 1980. Bernard Quinn et al. Atlanta, GA: Glenmary Research Center, 1982.
        Reference R 200.973 R3821 1980
      • Churches & Church Membership in the United States. Douglas Johnson et al. Washington, DC: Glenmary Research Center, [1974].
        Reference R 200.973 R3821 1971
    • Religious Cultures of the World: A Statistical Reference. Philip Parker. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997.
      Reference R 200 P241r
    • Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1933- .
      Reference R 280 F293
      Library has: 1937 to present
      Previous title: Yearbook of American Churches.

• Creeds
  • The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Religious Creeds. Ed. J. Gordon Melton. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1988.
    Reference R 291 E56
• Official Publications
  • Do an author search for the name of the religious community to find books and reports published by that organization.
  • Do author searches for the names of individuals who are or were associated with a specific community or group.
  • Identify periodicals published by the organization and then look for articles in those periodicals.
    WorldCat lists periodicals; you can also consult the following titles to identify periodicals published by specific religious groups:
    • Encyclopedia of American Religions. Ed. J. Gordon Melton. 7th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2003.
      Reference R 200.973 M528e 2003
    • Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1933- .
      Reference R 280 F293
      Library has: 1937 to present
      Previous title: Yearbook of American Churches.
• Diaries and Correspondence
  • Search the Library Catalog and WorldCat.
    • Do a keyword search and add the following words: diaries or correspondence.
    • Do a subject search for an individual's name (last name first) and look for subject headings with the words "diaries" or "correspondence."
  • Consult one of the following bibliographies:
    • American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals. 2 vols. Laura Arksey et al. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1983-1987.
      Reference R 016.92 A721a
      Vol. 1: Diaries Written from 1492 to 1844
      Vol. 2: Diaries Written from 1845 to 1980
    • And So to Bed: A Bibliography of Diaries Published in English. Patricia Pate Havlice. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1987.
      Reference R 016.92 H388a
    • North American Women's Letters & Diaries
      This collection provides the full text of letters, diaries, and excerpts of diaries from the colonial era to the mid twentieth century. The texts were written contemporaneously; memoirs are not included.
    • The Published Diaries and Letters of American Women: An Annotated Bibliography. Joyce Goodfriend. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1987.
      Reference R 016.92 G651p
• Periodicals
  Religious Periodicals | Magazines & Journals | Newspapers
  • Religious Periodicals
    The following list official and independent publications. Be sure to consult encyclopedias for specific organizations too.
    • American Jewish Year Book. Philadelphia, PA: American Jewish Committee, 1899- .
      Reference R 296 A51
      Library has: 1962-1992, 1994 to present
      Includes a list of Jewish periodicals.
    • Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1990- .
      Reference Desk R 016.07 A97
      Library has: 141st ed. (2006). Lists of religious periodicals appear in volume 3 (U.S.) and 5 (International).
    • Popular Religious Magazines of the United States. Ed. P. Mark Fackler and Charles Lippy. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1995. Reference R 016.2 P831
    • Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1933- .
      Reference R 280 F293
      Library has: 1937 to present
      Previous title: Yearbook of American Churches.
      Lists official publications under the names of specific organizations; also includes a section on "Religious Periodicals in the United States."
  • Magazines & Journals
    To locate articles in 18th, 19th, and 20th century magazines and journals, search the following:
    • 19th-Century Masterfile
      Indexes articles in 479 British and American periodicals published in the nineteenth century.
      Note: The print version of Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906), which is part of 19th-Century Masterfile, is available in the Reference Index Area at call number R 050 P82.
    • Humanities & Social Sciences Index
      (1907 to present). For the period 1907-1984, this database indexes journal articles in both the humanities and social sciences; it also includes the International Index to Periodicals (1907-1965). From 1985 to the present, the focus is on the humanities.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Periodicals Index Online
      (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Readers' Guide Abstracts
      (1890 to present) Indexes articles in popular periodicals; also includes citations to book and film reviews.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
  • Newspapers
    The library has many historical newspapers, including the New York Times (1851 to present), the Times [London] (1788 to present), and the Washington Post (1877 to present). Consult the following for information about these and many other titles:
    • 17th & 18th Century Newspapers
      • 17th & 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers
        (c. 1603-1800) Contains digital facsimiles of approximately 1,270 seventeenth and eighteenth-century English newspapers from the British Library's Burney Collection; includes many London papers as well as some English provincial, Scottish, Irish, and colonial North American papers. The full text of these newspapers, including all articles, advertisements, and other contents, is keyword-searchable.
      • America's Historical Newspapers (1690-1922)
        Contains digital facsimiles of over 1,375 seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth-century newspapers; the full text of these newspapers, including all articles, advertisements, and other contents, is keyword-searchable.
    • 19th Century Newspapers
    • 20th Century Newspapers
  See also Newspapers held by other libraries: how to find them.

• Library Catalog
  Includes information about books, government documents, and journals, magazines, and newspapers in the Library.
  • To locate works about a person, do a subject search for the person's name (last name first).
  • To locate bibliographies on a person or topic, do a keyword search and add the following: su bibliography.
  • To locate appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings, start with a keyword search and then browse records.
    
  Search Syntax:
  • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
  • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
  • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
• WorldCat
  Indexes books, periodicals, and other materials held by libraries around the world. Search WorldCat to identify additional books on your topic and then order the books on interlibrary loan.
  Note: It can be helpful to identify relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Library Catalog first; you can then do a subject search in WorldCat to find additional items with these subject headings.
  Search Syntax:
  • Truncation: use an asterisk *
  • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
  • Wildcard: use a question mark ?

• Starting Points
  • Academic Search Premier
    (1975 to present) Indexes popular and scholarly articles in a broad range of subject areas; also includes citations to book reviews and citations to articles in several national newspapers.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • OmniFile Full Text Mega
    (1982 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 scholarly and popular periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences; also includes the full text of selected articles from over 1,650 of these periodicals.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?

• Core Databases for Religion
  • ATLA Religion Database
    (1949 to present) Indexes book reviews on all aspects of religion and theology.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Index Islamicus
    (1906 to present) Indexes articles from over 3,000 journals as well as books, conference proceedings, and book reviews. Covers a wide variety of subjects and topics related to Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world including history, political science, art, economics, law, literature, philosophy, and religion.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Proquest Religion
    (1986 to present) Indexes articles from more than 90 religion periodicals.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Web of Knowledge
    (c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotations marks " "
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
• Other Indexes & Databases
  See also the resources listed on the library's indexes and databases pages.
  • Anthropology Plus
    (Late 19th century to the present) Includes citations to journal articles, reports, edited works, and commentaries in the fields of biological, cultural, linguistic, physical, and social anthropology as well as archaeology, ethnology, folklore, and material culture. Combines Anthropological Literature and Anthropological Index from the Royal Anthropological Institute in London.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Bibliographic Index
    (1984 to present) A bibliography of bibliographies; indexes bibliographies published in books, pamphlets, and more than 2,800 periodicals. Includes citations to literature reviews and serial bibliographies.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
  • Essay & General Literature Index
    (1985 to present) Indexes chapters and essays in edited collections.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
  • Historical Abstracts & America: History & Life
    (Time period covered: 1450 to present [world history]; prehistory to present [U.S. and Canadian history]. Publication coverage: 1954 to present). Indexes journal articles, book chapters, doctoral dissertations, and book reviews. (Each database can also be searched separately.)
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Humanities Abstracts
    (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
  • JSTOR
    Includes pdf copies of scholarly articles from a core collection of journals; also includes book reviews. Note:JSTOR does not contain articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use a plus sign +
    • Phrase searching: automatic
  • Periodicals Index Online
    (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: automatic
  • Project Muse
    Contains full-text articles from journals published by university and scholarly presses.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
  • PsycINFO (OVID version)
    (1887 to present) Contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports, as well as citations to dissertations, all in the field of psychology and related disciplines.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Social Sciences Abstracts
    (1907 to present) Indexes journal articles and some book reviews on all social sciences subjects, including history, political science, international relations, law, economics, area studies, gender studies, anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
    • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
  • Sociological Abstracts
    (1963 to present) indexes journal articles in sociology and related fields, including anthropology, economics, education, philosophy, political science, and social psychology.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?