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Here are some of the resources in our reference collection. Want to expand your horizons? Don't forget to check bibliographies at the end of an article or encyclopedia entry to get even more recommendations.
Encyclopedia of Religion (2nd ed.) by Call Number: Reference BL31 .E46 2005 v. 1–10Use it online!
With the aim of "introduc[ing] educated, nonspecialist readers to important ideas ... in the religious experience of humankind," this illustrated 10-volume encyclopedia is the first place to turn for religious research.
New Catholic Encyclopedia by Call Number: Reference BX841 .N44 2003 v. 1–15Use it online!
An exhaustive compendium of Catholic theology and practice, from the Byzantines to modern-day moral issues, with scholarly comparisons to other world religions.
Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions by Call Number: Reference BL2525 .M449 2009A classic work that divides North America's 1,500 religions into 19 general families, with in-depth essays on each.
The Brill Dictionary of Religion by Call Number: Reference BL31 .M4813 2007 v. 1–4Four illustrated volumes that emphasize religion in daily life.
The Encyclopedia of World Faiths by Call Number: Reference BL80.2 .E495 1988ISBN: 081601860XPublication Date: 1988This is not really an encyclopedia so much as a series of essays about 12 different religions. Great for getting an overview.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowWith more than 400 reference books, Credo is like a scholarly Wikipedia
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowSimilar to Wikipedia, but with better information, Oxford Reference has more than two million articles from dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference sources on every subject from archaeology to zoology. Search individual titles or all titles simultaneously.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Religion This link opens in a new windowPeer-reviewed, academic encyclopedia of Religion
Find Books and Articles
If you're doing research in Religion and need articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, or other resources, go to these databases.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowThis general database includes full text of more than 4,600 journals in most college subjects, and indexes 4,000 others. Try narrowing your search by SUBJECT and limiting it to "Academic Journals." (See the PAS tutorial to review how to identify scholarly journals.)
- ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new windowFull-text journal articles, essays, book reviews, and more from major religion and theology journals dating back to 1908, with indexing for some journal titles extending back to the 19th century.
Web Resources
- CIA World Factbook: ReligionsThe U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has been publishing "factbooks" — compendiums of knowledge about the world — since its inception in 1947. Starting in 2008, it offers concise descriptions of world religions' core beliefs, from Baha'i to Zoroastrianism. Also includes a breakdown of religions by country.
- Religion FactsA clean, straightforward design expresses its author's wish to present "just the facts" about the world's religions without promoting any one of them. In addition to clickable links about individual faiths, the site's so-called "Big Religion Chart" is both concise and comprehensive.
- Open Access Digital Theological LibraryOpen Access Digital Theological Library curates "high quality content in religious studies and related disciplines from publisher websites, institutional repositories, and stable public domain collections."
- Global Library on Theology and EcumenismThe Globethics.net Library currently holds more than 4,0 million documents on theology and ecumenism, including special collections on ecumenical, intercultural and contextual theologies, theological education, world Christianity, and interreligious studies. It regularly receives updates of the Index Theologicus , the International Bibliography of Theology and Religious Studies, produced and provided for free through a cooperation with the University Library of Tübingen.
The Globethics.net Network includes the Global Directory of Theological Education Institutions. - Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryFull text of classic Christian books available to read online. Includes Early Church Fathers.