Research Guides: MUS 2500: Introduction to Theology through Congregational Song (Bjorlin): Finding Articles

What Databases should I use?

Use databases to search for articles on campus and off. When you are prompted for a username and password, enter your usual North Park information.

ATLA Plus Religion Database This link opens in a new window
The premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and essays in the fields of religion, theology, biblical studies. Produced by the American Theological Library Association.

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Contains the full text and complete back runs of scholarly journals in a variety of academic disciplines.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
Provides the full text from a set of journals and e-books in the humanities, arts, and social sciences

Databases can help you find the full-text of an article (if it is available) when you have a complete citation.
Databases can also help you find complete bibliographic information when you have a partial citation.
Databases can be access in two ways from the Brandel Library home page:
- First, click on "Online Resources" tab at the center of the page
  - This brings up a list with various disciplinary categories and combinations.
    - Biblical and theological databases are listed under the "Humanities" heading.
- Second, click on "Research Resources" on the left hand of the page, then on "Online Resources" which will bring you to the same list of disciplines as above.
ATLA (American Theological Library Association) Religion Database is the primary database for Bible, theology, and religion.
New Testament Abstracts and Old Testament Abstracts are also helpful in identifying relevant articles, but provide only a brief abstract of the article, not a full-text of the article.
Databases contain indexed articles (and sometimes essays in books) and ATLA contains the full-text of many of the articles and essays it indexes.

You can get journal articles in three ways:

Online - through the Brandel Library's databases and online journal subscriptions.
WorldShare Interlibrary Loan - request a specific journal article and the library will work to send you a PDF of that article.
Print - The Brandel Library's print journals are on lower level of the library for you to read, scan, and photocopy.

Use the following criteria to decide if a publication is popular or scholarly.

Scholarly journal articles:

written by experts in the field for an informed reader
make careful, substantial use of scholarly sources in notes and/or bibliography
reviewed by scholars outside the publication staff ('peer-reviewed') before publication
longer than articles in a popular magazine
Examples: Church History; Journal of Ecclesiastical History; Archive for Reformation History