Getting Started
Information is everywhere.
Before beginning your research, it's important to get the lay of the land and know what kind of sources are out there. As you begin, you will want to start exploring your topic broadly. Reviewing some of these preliminary sources can help you to formulate a research question and generate keywords for your research strategy. Biblical Reference works, such as Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias can also be useful in providing authoritative historical and literary context for the passage you are considering. Plus, many of these high-level resources include bibliographies that can be a starting place for more in-depth research.
Oxford Reference
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Why Search Here?
You're getting started on a topic and want something more reliable than Wikipedia, or you're looking for a solid overview of a scholarly topic.What's Included?
spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias.
Selected Oxford Biblical Reference Titles
Anchor Bible Dictionary
- Theology and Religion Online This link opens in a new window
Why Search Here?
You are looking for authoritative overviews, definitions, and suggestions for further reading on topics related to theology or biblical studies.What's Included?
Encompassing the Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries, the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, and the Eerdman's Digital Reference Library (43 core reference titlesin religious studies), this platform will search individually or simultaneously across a large collection of definitive reference texts, many of which have not been historically available online.
Credo Reference
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Why Search Here?
You need a quick and credible answer, are gathering information about a new topic, looking for a list of recommended reading in an area, or looking for a definition or overview.What's Included?
Over 2 million full text articles from over 900 dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, popular and scholarly encyclopedias, quote books and atlases, plus a wide range or subject-specific titles covering everything from accounting to zoology.