Periodical indexes are used to find journal articles, book reviews appearing in the journal literature, conference proceedings, festschriften (essays in honor of someone), and similar materials. Many periodical indexes now offer links to the full texts of the materials they index. If you do not see a link to full text, it may be that you will need to find the bound volume of the journal on the shelf in the Library. Be sure to write down or print out the complete citation to the article you want to find: its author, title, journal name, volume number, issue date, and pages. Then look up the name of the journal in our online catalog to find its call number.
ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Produced by the American Theological Library Association, ATLA Religion Database indexes periodical articles and book material in biblical studies, world religions, church history, and religious perspectives on social issues. Its coverage begins in 1949; there are over 1.3 million records for articles, citations to more than 200,000 essays, and over 400,000 book review cites. ATLASerials, part of our subscription, provides links to the full texts of 100,000 some articles from more than 50 journals.
Subject headings to try: Afro-American churches; Afro-Americans--church history; Bible (OT)--[specific book of the Bible]; bioethics; ethics; clones (biology); Catholic Church--[country name]; Eastern churches--history; education, medieval; gender; genetics; Islam; [country name]--religion; homosexuality; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); [last name, first name of person]; Reformation--Germany; Reformed Churches--history; same sex marriage; women--Africa; women, Muslim; women and religion; women in Islam; women in religion; women in the Bible; women ministers
Catholic Periodical and Literature Index
Covers all aspects of the Catholic faith and lifestyle, and includes over 380,000 index citations of articles and reviews published in Roman Catholic periodicals, Papal documents, church promulgations, and books about the Catholic faith that are authored by Catholics and/or produced by Catholic publishers. Indexing in the online version corresponds to the print version (Main AI 3 .C3)and covers content from over 200 periodicals. Coverage in the online database dates back to 1981; coverage in the print volumes began in 1930/1933 under the title Catholic Periodical Index (Main AI 3 .C3). These print indexes are now in the Main stacks.
Subject headings to try: Bibles (NT)--[book of the Bible]; Catholic Church--US; feminism; homosexuality; human embryo; Jesuits; Jesus Christ; John Paul II, Pope, 1920- ; popes; women and religion--[place]; women in the Catholic Church
Index to Jewish Periodicals
This database provides a comprehensive guide to English-language articles, book reviews, and feature stories in over 160 journals devoted to Jewish affairs. Titles covered include Contemporary Jewry, Holy Land Studies, Jewish Culture and History, Journal of Palestine Studies, Studies in American Jewish Literature and many more. Most references are not found in general coverage periodical indexes. Online coverage begins in 1988. However, the print version began publication in 1963 and is located in the Main Library at AI 3 .I45.
Subject headings to try: Christianity; Holocaust; Holocaust denial literature; Holocaust literature; Holocaust, study and teaching; Holocaust survivors; Holocaust survivors' children; homosexuality; identity, Jewish; immigration and emigration; Islam; Israel; Judaism, ancient; Judaism, Orthodox; Judaism and Christianity; women; women, Jewish
RAMBI: Index of Articles on Jewish Studies
A selective bibliography of articles in the various fields of Jewish studies and in the study of Eretz Israel. Material listed in Rambi is compiled from thousands of periodicals and from collections of articles - in Hebrew, Yiddish, and European languages- mainly from the holdings of the Jewish National and University Library, a world center for research on the Jewish people and Eretz Israel. The main criterion for inclusion in the bibliography is that the article be based on scientific research, or contain important information for such research.
Covers a more extensive, international range of sources with a greater level of subject analysis, though more selectively, than either Index to Jewish Periodicals or ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials.
Index Islamicus is an international bibliography of publications in European languages covering all aspects of Islam and the Muslim world, including history, beliefs, societies, cultures, languages, and literature. The database includes material published by Western orientalists, social scientists and Muslims and contains indexing for 3,470 titles with coverage dating back to 1906. Index Islamicus is produced by Brill Academic Publishers.
America History and Life
America: History & Life covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada. It has selective indexing for over 1,700 journals from 1955 to present. The database also provides full-text coverage of more than 200 journals and nearly 100 books.
Subject headings to try: Mormons; Blacks and church; church history; Presbyterianism; Presbyterian Church in the United States of America; missions; Finney, Charles Grandison; [name of denomination]; [last name, first name of person]
Historical Abstracts with Full Text
Provides access to historical articles for the Modern period (1450 to the present) for Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Latin America. European religious history from the Reformation/Counter Reformation onwards. Some coverage of religious history of the third world/developing world, but consider using the periodical indexes offered in the research guides of our area studies bibliographers for more in-depth coverage. Subject headings to try: [last name, first name of person]; [name of denomination]; Nonconformity;Huguenots; Counter-Reformation; Jansenists; Anabaptists; nuns; priests; Catholic Church; Reformation; Reformed Churches. No subject heading for Holocaust; instead do a keyword search using genocide and jew* or genocide and german*
Church Missionary Society Periodicals, Modules I and II
From its roots as an Anglican evangelical movement driven by lay persons, this resource encompasses publications from the CMS and the latterly integrated South American Missionary Society. Documenting missionary work from the 19th to the 21st century, the periodicals include news, journals and reports offering a unique perspective on global history and cultural encounter. Module I is comprised of periodicals published by the Church Missionary Society and South American Missionary Society from 1804-2009. Module II contains periodicals and annual reports published by the Church Missionary Society and its auxiliaries, and the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, from 1816-1986. Documents are indexed by places (region, city, and mission station), countries, names and key search terms.
Missionary Periodicals Database
This database, created at University of Cambridge and hosted by Yale University Divinity School, records all periodicals concerning foreign missions that were published in Britain from the 18th century through the 1960s. It includes records for 579 periodicals. These can be browsed through an alphabetical title list, or searched by title, issuing body, denomination, place of publication, publisher, region, keyword, or via a clickable map for geographic access. Records provide bibliographic information, notes on the nature and content of the periodicals, and copy location information. Users should be sure to consult the "terms used" link for information about record elements and the "locations" link for expansions of abbreviations and contact information for holding libraries. These two links are at the very bottom of the entry page.
International Medieval Bibliography
An index to the European Middle Ages (c.500-1500 A.D.) covering periodicals, conference proceedings, essay collections, festschriften, and exhibition catalogs in Western European languages. Limiting search results to English language only items is possible. Searches may be conducted in English, French, or German. PLEASE click on “Logout” at top right of the work screen when finished searching.
Religion is highly significant to study of the medieval period. Print vols. of this index are in Main Z 6203 .I48. Subject headings to try: Papacy; nunneries; morality plays; missals, liturgical books; Mendicant orders; mysticism; altarpieces; Alcuin, scholar; Apocalypse; Bernard de Clairvaux, theologian
Bibliography of British and Irish History
Bibliography of British and Irish History is the major index to secondary articles about British, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, and Irish history. It also indexes primary sources. It is made available online by Brepolis, the online division of the Brepols publishing company, but is produced in partnership with the University of London, Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society. Originally, this was a print resource called Annual Bibliography of British and Irish History, Main stacks Z 2016 .A55, published 1975-2003. BBIH covers books, articles in collective volumes (including conference proceedings and festschriften)and journal articles. Primary source material is indexed as well as much secondary material.
In Advanced Search, scroll down to the Subject Search line and click on the box "All Subjects." This pulls up a list of different kinds of history, of which "Religious history" is one and "Sources" is another. If you want primary sources, choose "Sources." In "Religious history" click on a word/phrase in the left column to expand the topic; this can be done several times, with each choice becoming more subject specific. When you reach the desired level of specificity, click on the box beside the topic, scroll up to the top of the screen and click on "Insert/close" at top right. This pastes your choice into the search work form. Or, try a free text search using the "All index terms on the search work form. There, click on "Browse" beside the search box on to look up their terminology for the keywords you think of. You can also search by place name, personal name, or time period. Examples: All subject terms-Sources; sources by origin-ecclesiastical records-churchwardens' accounts. Or, All subject terms-Religious history-religious reform-Great Awakening
Humanities Full Text
Includes many of the most important academic journals in the humanities with the full text of articles from over 300 periodicals dating back to 1995, and high-quality indexing for almost 700 journals—of which 470 are peer-reviewed—dating as far back as 1984. We subscribe to a high proportion of the journals indexed here, including those in religion. Subject headings used are determined by people reading/indexing the material. Has full text links available. Subject headings to try: Bible (NT)-[book of the Bible]; Black theology; Black Catholics; bioethics; fetal research; human cloning; church history--Middle Ages; clergy; homosexuality--religious aspects--Christianity; Islam; Islamic fundamentalism; [last name, first name of person]; Muslim women; Papacy; Popes; women--religious life; women in Christianity.
New Testament Abstracts
The database is indispensable for research and bibliography by scholars, librarians, clergy, and students of the New Testament and its historical milieu. Online, the database contains over 38,000 article abstracts, 1,200 review abstracts, 13,500 book abstracts, and 50 software abstracts. Each year an additional 2,100 articles from over 500 periodicals in numerous languages are selected for inclusion. It summarizes approximately 800 books each year. Online coverage begins with 1985; however, the print version began publication in 1956 and is in the Main stacks at BS 410 .N35.
Subject headings to try: Best to combine keywords with their broad topics: Biblical theology; Epistles-Revelation; Gospels-Acts; New Testament. New Testament has sub-sub headings, such as archaeology, early church, Greco-Roman, Jewish, gnosticism, etc. Can also search by scripture reference, such as Acts 1. Limiting results is possible by year, publication, or type of material desired (book, article, review, software.)
Old Testament Abstracts
Old Testament Abstracts covers journal articles, monographs, multi-author works, and software related to Old Testament studies from over 450 journals. All abstracts are in English, regardless of the language of the original work. Topics covered include antiquities, archaeology, biblical theology, philology and much more. Coverage in the online database dates back to 1978. M.S.U. Libraries does not own any volumes of this index in paper.
Subject headings to try: Uses broad subject topics, such as archaeology, historical books, major prophets, minor prophets, Pentateuch, writings: Psalms; writings, Job through Sirach. It is best to combine a broad topic with a keyword. Limiting is possible by date, language, type of material desired. Can also search by Biblical scripture reference to find writings on that text.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index
A multidisciplinary database covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. Indexes 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, as well as covering individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.
Uses Key word in title indexing (KWIT) done by computer, which often yields less useful subject results than indexing done by humans using controlled vocabulary terms. Has the capacity to search for cited references, which other indexes mostly do not have. Subject headings to try: any word that might appear in a book or periodical article title on your topic may be searched.
Provides full-text access to back files of journals in a great many disciplines, including history, religion, philosophy, and area studies. Now some current issues are being covered. Years covered vary from journal to journal. Subject headings to try: Use Advanced Search. Any word in a possible article or book title may be searched and you may choose whether your retrieval comes from article titles only, or words contained in the article abstract. Scroll down and combine the search words with the discipline of study desired to help ensure that the usage of your search terms conforms to that of the discipline you seek material in.
Over six hundred journals from more than 240 not-for-profit, scholarly publishers are currently offered in Project Muse. Muse is a unique collaboration between the participating publishers and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at the Johns Hopkins University. Years available vary by journal.
Many history and philosophy journals are covered, but not so many religious studies journals. Subject headings used are those of the Library of Congress, which are the ones used in our online catalog. Can also search by article title words, words in the full texts of the articles, or words in all fields except those in the full-texts (the basic index entry words). Subject headings to try: African-American churches; bioethics--religious aspects; human cloning; Catholic Church; Catholic Church--Byzantine rite; Catholic Church--clergy; Catholic Church--history; church work with immigrants; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Holocaust denial literature; Holocaust survivors; homosexuality--religious aspects; Islam; Islamic fundamentalism; missions to Muslims; Mormons; Muslim women; Presbyterians; [name of denomination]; Bible. English--versions--authorized; Bible--Black interpretations; Bible--feminist criticism; Talmud; Torah scrolls; Koran
Review of Biblical Literature
Review of Biblical Literature (RBL), founded by the Society of Biblical Literature, presents reviews of books in biblical studies and related fields.