Religion 330: Religion in America: Secondary Scholarly Sources

When searching Primo Search, try browsing Library of Congress subject headings.  Here are a few examples:

Religion and politics -- United States

Religion and law -- United States

Church and state -- United States

Religious right -- United States

Christianity and politics -- United States

Freedom of religion -- United States

Religious minorities -- Legal status, laws -- United States

Also try adding the subheading "religious aspects" to your main topic, for example:

Public welfare -- religious aspects -- Christianity

Environmentalism -- religious aspects

Pay equity -- religious aspects

The following databases will help you identify scholarly material for your project.

ATLA is the main subject database for the field of religion.  It differs from other subject databases (such as Political Science Complete, PsycInfo, or America: History and Life) with which you may be familiar because it indexes three distinct types of sources:

1. Scholarly (peer-reviewed)
2. Religious academic (peer-reviewed within the context of a specific faith tradition)
3. Non-academic religious publications, including popular magazines, texts aimed at those working in pastoral care; guides to spiritual life, etc.

Please see the attached Microsoft Word chart for specific examples.

If you select the "peer-reviewed" option when searching ATLA, you will get options #1 and #2 above in your results.  Religious academic publishing may or may not be appropriate for your literature review.  It depends on the context and scope of the writing.  A historical analysis may be entirely appropriate for your needs, while a specific theological interpretation of a passage in the New Testament may be more appropriate to use as a primary source.  If you have any questions at all about how to classify or use a specific article or book, please consult with a librarian.