Research Strategies
Use the resources in the boxes below to search for Articles and Chapters and browse Journals on your topic. But first, read the next few tabs for some important Search Strategies.
CHOOSE YOUR TOOL(S):
As researchers, we have a number of tools available to us:
The Library Catalog [or CrossSearch]
- May contain many types of sources (scholarly, non-scholarly, multimedia,etc., both secondary and primary)
- Covers a variety of subject areas;
- Best place to find books for background on your topic.
General (Article) Databases [incl. CrossSearch, Google Scholar]
- May contain many types of sources (scholarly, non-scholarly, multimedia,etc., all typically secondary)
- Cover a variety of subject areas;
- Good places to begin research OR to do research on an interdisciplinary topic. May not be specific enough for advanced research.
- May contain many types of sources (scholarly, non-scholarly, multimedia, etc., all typically secondary)
- Focus on a specific subject area or areas;
- Include tools designed for specialized research (e.g., ability to search by biblical reference).
Consider your research needs. What do you need at this point in time? Are you still becoming familiar with your topic, or are you trying to fill specific gaps?
Not sure which tool to use? Ask a librarian!
CRAFT SEARCH TERMS
Brainstorm. Spend a few minutes thinking about what words could be used to describe the topic. Be specific!
Expand. For each of the words you listed, think of other words or phrases you could use that mean the same thing.
Use Expert Search Tricks. AND and OR make your search more or less specific, giving you more sources to choose from.
- When you use AND, a database will look for resources that use all of the words you entered.
- Use OR between words that mean the same or similar things, or that you are equally interested in.
- Use an asterisk (*) to search for multiple variations of a word (ex - Christ* will search Christ, Christian, Christology, etc.)
Pivot As Needed. If you aren't finding much, try...
- Rephrasing. See if you can find even 1 or 2 relevant articles, note what subjects are listed for them, and use these to try again.
- Broadening your search. Try taking your topic one step bigger.
- Switching tools. Sometimes you just need a different database!
You can use the worksheet below to help jumpstart your keyword searching:
- Keyword Brainstorm LogHere is a sample keyword log to get you started!
TRACE-ING RESEARCH LEADS
No piece of research stands alone; each is part of a broader scholarly conversation in that topic/ field. These resources have clues that you can TRACE, if you know how to look!
Terms– Check the abstract, subject terms and article for concepts and terms that you can use for your future searches.
Reported in– Is the journal where the article was printed relevant? Try searching for other articles from this journal.
Author– What else has the author(s) published on this topic? Search the databases for their other publications
Consulted by- Check Google Scholar to see which articles or books have cited your sources, and to find
more-recent research which builds on your original information.
Evidence- Check the references list (or bibliography) to see what previous research this resource is drawing on. From here, you may wish to consider:
- Previous articles or books published on your topic
- Other authors who have published on your topic
- Journals where your topic is frequently discussed
Tools for TRACE-ing:
- Scopus This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts for journals, books, and conference proceedings, primarily in the natural and social sciences.
Academic Articles
Academic Articles
Highly-Recommended:
- Atla Religion Database This link opens in a new window
Citations for journal articles, books and book chapters on all religious topics.
- Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts for journal articles, books, chapters, and reviews in all major fields of philosophy.
Additional Options:
- ProQuest Religion This link opens in a new window
Academic and professional journal articles, dissertations, magazines and other publications pertaining to religion and spirituality, from both religious and nondenominational publishers and covering all religious traditions.
- JSTOR Arts & Sciences This link opens in a new window
Journal articles in almost every subject area, including some historical articles back to the 17th century.
Search Combined Databases (Atla Religion & Philosopher's Index)
You will sometimes find that you need to search multiple databases to get a complete range of information on your topic. For example, if your topic has both theological and philosophical elements, it may not be sufficient to search only Atla Religion or only Philosopher's Index.
Many of our databases are made by the same few companies, and some companies allow you to search two or more of their databases simultaneously, through a single interface. In EBSCOhost databases, you can do this using the Choose Databases option. While the video below illustrates this tool in the context of historical databases (Historical Abstracts and America History & Life), it can be used to combine any group of EBSCOhost databases, including Atla Religion and Philosopher's Index.
Search by Scripture Reference (Atla Religion)
Atla Religion's Scripture Search allows you to search for articles flagged as pertaining to a specific scripture passage. There are several different levels available. For example, if I wanted to examine John 3:16, I could search for all articles pertaining to the Gospel of John; all articles pertaining to Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John; or all articles pertaining to John 3:16, specifically.
Note that articles are not always labeled accurately or comprehensively -- it's a starting point! So, if John 3:16 doesn't produce enough results, consider backing up to look at John Chapter 3, or, if necessary, the Book of John. Or, try taking out any specific search terms you may be using, look at all articles pertaining to John 3:16 regardless of theme/topic, and then narrow from that point.
Here's a quick video to show you what it looks like:
USING JSTOR EFFECTIVELY:
JSTOR is a popular database for humanities resources -- but the results it produces can be overwhelming! Here are some tips for making the most of JSTOR:
- As always, be thoughtful about your choice of search terms.
- Unlike some other research tools, JSTOR searches the full text of each article it holds (unless you indicate otherwise). This makes using quotations for multi-word concepts (ex: "gender norms") even more important to cut down on random results.
- Make thorough and effective use of the Advanced Search (see the screencast below).
Books Chapters in Edited Collections
Book Chapters
MONOGRAPHS vs EDITED COLLECTIONS:
Monographs typically consist of a single intellectual work in one volume (i.e., one topic, likely one overall argument, etc.). You might find that an individual chapter or section of a monograph contributes substantially to your understanding of a topic.
Edited collections (also sometimes called anthologies or edited works, among others) contain a collection of essays around a topic or idea, typically curated by one or more scholars in the field. These scholars, called the editors, have usually determined the topic of the collection, solicited papers on relevant topics, and selected the papers for final inclusion in the volume; they may have taken on other roles in the publishing process as well. Edited collections are valuable for their ability to bring together different takes on and aspects of a topic in a particular volume where they can be read together, but the chapters or essays also stand as their own intellectual works.
Whereas monographs are quite broad, chapters in edited collections are more similar in depth and length to journal articles.
Finding Edited Collections
Edited collections are listed in CrossSearch like any other book. A trick for finding edited collections specifically is to include the term "edited" or "editor" as a keyword in your search. From there, if the book is in print, you can use the strategies on the next tab (Book Chapters) to help identify the chapter(s) you would like to read -- or, find the entire book in the library.
You can also find chapters from edited collections...
- listed in databases like Atla Religion and Philosopher's Index (where they are typically labeled as "essays" or, more rarely, "book articles");
- cited in bibliographies of articles and other books; and
- searchable in Google Scholar
(among other places).
LOCATING BOOK CHAPTERS:
Locating book chapters that you may want to read can take a little more time. Here are some creative ways that you might find book chapters:
- CrossSearch -- some, but not all, of our books have tables of contents in the catalog that you can check;
- Google Books typically have limited previews, but if you can see enough to locate a helpful chapter, we can get you a copy;
- Similarly, Amazon.com previews;
- Google Scholar sometimes includes citations for book chapters (and searches across Google Books);
- Databases (some, but not all, include book chapter citations specifically; America History & Life is one);
- Citations in bibliographies of articles, e-books, or other books that you may have checked out.
You can also try searching WorldCat, which searches the collections of libraries around the world (including ours!). Sometimes the information about a book is listed differently in WorldCat, allowing you to find sources that you would never have pulled up in our own catalog.
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window
A world-wide catalog of books, journals, audiovisual materials, and other sources available in libraries worldwide. Includes direct links to request items on Interlibrary Loan.
Each of these strategies can be used to....
(1) Find the titles of book chapters in our own libraries; or
(2) Find the titles of book chapters held by other libraries, which can be requested on Interlibrary Loan.
Requesting Book Chapters:
For instructions on how to obtain book chapters that you would like to use, see the Access Options page on this guide.
Academic Journals
Academic Journals
JOURNALS ONLINE:
All the information that you will need to find a journal article online, is contained in the article citation. Use the citation to look up the journal in the Browzine e-journals search.
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Browzine is like a cheatsheet for the databases. It will tell you which journals we have online access to, for which dates, and in which databases. You can find some tips for using Browzine here. Follow the citation to browse to the journal (and, if applicable, volume and issue) you need.
Can't find the journal in Browzine? Check to see if we have a copy in the library.
JOURNALS IN THE LIBRARY:
Just like with online journals, everything you need to find a journal article in print in the library can be found in the citation. The steps are just a little bit different!
To start, search for the name of the journal (not the specific article) in CrossSearch or the Library Catalog -- just like you would for a book.
If we own the journal, you will see a record like this, just like you would for a book:
In the library, you can use the call number to find the correct journal volume the same way you would for a book. If you are unable to visit the library in person, you can use Document Delivery to request a scan of journals we do not have online access to:
Instructions for using Document Delivery