Recommended Article Databases
- ATLA Religion Databases with ATLASerials This link opens in a new windowUse the Scriptures tab above the search box to find articles by Bible book, chapter, or verse.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window A total of more than 900 full-text scholarly journal titles in an online archive beginning with the first issue of each title. The archive includes nine JSTOR Arts and Sciences Collections.In JSTOR, there is usually a time lag in full-text content. Use JSTOR in conjunction with our current online databases and print holdings.Since results may contain articles that are not peer reviewed, search for the journal title using the A-Z Journals by Title list to verify the journal's peer-reviewed status.Note: AND, OR, NOT must be entered in all uppercase. (See further details.)
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window All journal titles in Project MUSE are peer reviewed, scholarly titles. Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others.
Find Books
Search for: [book of the Bible] and Bible commentaries
Example: Genesis and Bible commentaries
Search Strategy
Once you choose a source, you have to figure out what to type into the search box. The library resources work best when you enter search terms in small bites--rather than a whole question, so you want to think about keywords related to your topic. As you create a list of possible keywords, think about:
- The who, what, where, when, and why of your topic.
- Synonyms, related concepts, alternate spellings.
- General vs. specific - a more general term will get you more results than a more specific term.
You can combine keywords in a search using what are called search operators.
- Quotation marks search the phrase as a unit.
- Example: "social media"
- AND narrows by connecting two terms. The search results must contain both terms.
- Example: "social media" AND "mental health"
- OR broadens your search. The search results will contain either of the terms.
- Example: "mental health" OR "mental illness"
**Remember: It's okay if you don't get what you want on the first search you try.**
Finding Full-Text Articles
If you get to a relevant article, but you don't see the full text of the article, look for the FindIt@Emmanuel button. If Emmanuel College has the full article, you will be taken to a list of options for accessing it.
If we don't have the full article, you can request it from another library through interlibrary loan.
Keeping Track of Article Links
Try to avoid bookmarking articles or saving the URL as it likely won't work when you later come back to it. Better options:
- Look for a permalink (permanent link) and save that instead.
- Save a full citation.
- Email it to yourself.
- Save it to a citation manager such as RefWorks or Zotero.