Research Guides: Religious Studies Guide: Religious Studies Research Introduction (Essays, Articles, Books, etc.)

Introduction

This guide will help you find published scholarship (essays, books, chapters, journal articles, etc.) and primary sources on a topic.

Choose a topic that interests you and fits within your assignment's parameters.
Read good summaries of the topic in subject encyclopedias, like those listed below, to gain a basic overview of your topic.
Search for published scholarship in library discovery systems, catalogs, databases, research organization websites, etc.
Identify primary source material (e. g. documents, records, artifacts, surveys, data, etc.) through your scholarly readings, and by searching or browsing the digital collections of libraries, archives, museums, and other scholarly organizations.

Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your sources, and think critically about their content and arguments.

For remote login to the Library's electronic resources, see our instructions for Off-Campus Access.

Remember to consult with your instructor in Religious Studies about your project!

Reference Essays (from Encyclopedias & Dictionaries)

Subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:

Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)

Oxford Reference

Brill Online DIctionary of Religion by Kocku Von Stuckrad (Editor)
ISBN: 9789004124332
Publication Date: 2005-12-23
"Addresses religion as an element of daily life and public discourse. Richly illustrated and with more than 500 entries, the dictionary is a multi-media reference source on the many and various forms of religious commitment...addresses the different theologies and doctrinal declarations of the official institutionalized religions..."
Encyclopedia of American Religions by J. Gordon Melton; James A. Beverley; Constance M. Jones; Pamela Susan Nadell
ISBN: 9780787696962
Publication Date: 2009-02-13
"Presents coverage of more than 2,500 North American religious groups in the U.S. and Canada, from Adventists to Zen Buddhists."
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World by Richard C. Martin; Gale (Editor)
ISBN: 9780028662695
Publication Date: 2016-01-27
"The second edition of this well-received two-volume study of Islam updates and adds to its predecessor 40 percent new content. It updates and revises most of the original 500+ entries and adds new topics to reflect changes in the Muslim world since 2004..."
Encyclopedia of Religion
ISBN: 9780028657332
Publication Date: 2004-12-17
"Widely regarded as the standard reference work in the field. This second edition...will include almost all of the 2750 original entries - many heavily updated - as well as approximately 600 (1.2M words) entirely new articles. Preserving the best of Eliade's cross-cultural approach while emphasizing religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture,.."
Encyclopedia of Religion in America by Charles H. Lippy (Editor); Peter W. Williams (Editor)
ISBN: 9780872895805
Publication Date: 2010-06-01
"A multidisciplinary examination of religion in American life...examines how religious history and practices are woven into the political, social, cultural, and historical landscape of North America..."
Oxford Companion to the Bible by Bruce M. Metzger (Editor); Michael David Coogan (Editor)
ISBN: 9780195046458
Publication Date: 1993-10-14
"The Oxford Companion to the Bible provides an authoritative one-volume reference to the people, places, events, books, institutions, religious belief, and secular influence of the Bible. Written by more than 250 scholars from some 20 nations and embracing a wide variety of perspectives, the Companion offers over seven hundred entries, ranging from brief identifications...to extensive interpretive essays on topics such as the influence of the Bible on music or law..."
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices by Thomas Riggs (Editor)
ISBN: 9781414498706
Publication Date: 2014-09-29
"In 1,800 pages across 3 volumes, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices provides information on current religious practices around the world with an emphasis on how religions impact the daily lives of their followers..."

Scholarly Books

OneSearch; Search for printed and electronic scholarly books at QC and other CUNY libraries.

WorldCat: Search for scholarly books in the national catalog for the United States and Canada. Includes holdings from libraries in other parts of the world, primarily European or English-speaking.

Scholarly Journal Articles (Search Databases)

Atla Religion Database This link opens in a new window
This database is an essential resource for religious and theological studies, providing bibliographic records covering topics such as biblical studies, world religions, church history, and religion in social issues.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Humanities Source is a valuable full-text database covering literary, scholarly, and creative thought.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals and e-books that include primary sources, images, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR provided expanded access during the pandemic (June 2020-June 2023). Expanded access expires on June 30, 2023. CUNY will reinstate that access beginning in January 2024.You may review the Electronic Resources Status Dashboard for updates. Questions? Email: access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a Ticket!
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Remote access to Google Scholar may not always work. In such cases we advise that you follow the steps below or review the FAQ on Google Scholar
How to access QC subscribed articles via Google Scholar:
1.Access Google Scholar via the un-proxied version: Google Scholar
2. From the Menu Icon on the Top Left select Settings then Library Links
3. In Library Links, search for Queens College then select "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC"
4. SAVE and return to the Google Scholar Homepage
5. You should be able to search for articles. When you see the "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC", select to either be re-directed to the Library Catalogue, OneSearch or asked to login to the library proxy in order to access articles.
6. Please review the FAQ on logging into the library proxy.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Electronic Resources Librarian by completing the Electronic Resources Access Form.
Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
This current and comprehensive bibliographic database covers scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
RAMBI: The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies This link opens in a new window
RAMBI: The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies is a selective bibliography of academic articles covering all of the fields of Jewish studies as well as the study of Eretz Israel and the State of Israel.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences; (1952-current).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

What is a scholarly journal article?

A scholarly journal article is written by a scholar or an expert, and provides a detailed analysis of a topic. It is written in the specialized language of a scholarly discipline (such as Philosophy). It documents the resources the writer used by providing bibliographic citations such as footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography so a reader can check or repeat the research the scholar has completed.

A scholarly journal is edited by scholars, and any article published in the journal has usually been approved by the author's peers or by referees (other scholars expert in the subject who serve as editors or readers and critique the article before it is accepted for publication). This is why most scholarly journals are referred to as a Peer-Reviewed or Refereed journals. Here is a comparison between popular and scholarly periodicals. There are usually several databases that can be used to search for journal articles on a topic.

Religious Studies; Professional Associations

Primary Source Collections at Libraries, Archives, Museums

Association of Religion Data Archives
ATLA Cooperative Digital Resources Initiative
DigiVatLib (Digital Vatican Library)
"DigiVatLib is a digital library service. It provides free access to the Vatican Library’s digitized collections: manuscripts, incunabula, archival materials and inventories as well as graphic materials, coins and medals, printed materials (special projects)."
Internet Sacred Text Archive