OC Library: Library Instruction for New Religious Movements

Researching Topics for New Religious Movements

Finding Books	Finding Internet Resources
Finding Articles	Interlibrary Loan
Other Sources in the Library	Evaluating Sources

Finding Books

OC Library Catalog (books in the OC Library)

Go to library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
Select: OC Catalog

NetLibrary (electronic books available online)

Go to the library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
Select: NetLibrary

WorldCat (books in libraries around the world)

Go to the library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
Select: WorldCat

NOTE: If you find a book in WorldCat that is not in the OC Library, you can request it on interlibrary loan by clicking on the "ILL" button.

Other Library Catalogs (through the OK-Share program, OC students and faculty can check out books from over 40 libraries in Oklahoma)

Go to the library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
Select: Other Library Catalogs
Select the desired library

Finding Articles

Databases

To access all databases containing articles:

Go to the library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)

Select: Find Articles

Select: Subject area OR database title (e.g., Religion or Academic Search)

Databases that contain religious materials:

ATLA Religion Database (under Religion)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in the religious field worldwide, essays in books, and book reviews. Some of the entries are full text, most are just citations. Allows you to limit your search to articles in journals that are in the Beam Library. Also allows you to place an ILL request without leaving ATLA.

Academic Search

Online database that covers all disciplines including religion. Some (but not all!) of the entries are full text.

ArticleFirst (under Multidisciplinary)

Online database that covers all disciplines including religion. Entries are citations. Allows you to limit your search to articles in journals that are in the Beam Library. Also allows you to place an ILL request without leaving ArticleFirst.

Restoration Serials Index (under Religion)

A subject and author index to religious periodicals associated with the churches of Christ. Citations only.

Other databases that might contain useful materials:

Health Source: Academic (under Medicine)

Covers information relating to medicine and health. Entries are full text, abstracts, or citations.

PsycInfo (under Psychology)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals in the area of psychology. Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations. Allows you to limit your search to articles in journals that are in the Beam Library. Also allows you to place an ILL request without leaving PsycInfo.

NewsBank (under Newspapers)

Newspaper articles from various newspapers published in the United States. All articles are full text.

America: History & Life (under History)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals that are related to the history of the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present. Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations.

Historical Abstracts (under History)

Indexes articles from scholarly journals that are related to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada). Many of the entries have abstracts, but some are just citations.

Searching Tips
1. Boolean operators
  - AND - will retrieve articles that have both terms. Example: If you search on "cat AND dog," you'll get articles about both cats and dogs.
  - OR - will retrieve articles that have either term. (Be sure to put parentheses around words connected by OR.) Example: If you search on "cat OR dog," you'll get articles about cats, about dogs, and about cats and dogs.
2. Truncation
  - Truncation allows you to search for different versions of the same word. Basically, you substitute an asterisk (*) for one or more letters. This is a quick and easy way to include plurals, tense variations and alternate spellings. Example: "religio*" will find religious, religion, religions, etc.
  - Be careful when using truncation; "cat*" will find cat, cats, catastrophe, catalog, catapult, etc.

Print Indexes

Religion Index One 1949- (Third floor index table)

A subject index to periodical literature including an author/editor and a scripture index. Included in ATLA Religion Database.

Religious & Theological Abstracts 1967- (Third floor index table)

Summarizes journal articles. Arranged by broad topics. Has a separate subject, author, and scripture index in the last issue of each volume.

Restoration Serials Index (RSI) 1975- (Third floor index table)

The printed version of the electronic database.

Old Testament Abstracts 1978- (Third floor index table)

Summarizes journal articles. Arranged by broad topics. The last issue of each volume provides indexes by author, scripture, and words in Hebrew and other ancient languages.

New Testament Abstracts 1956- (Third floor index table)

Summarizes journal articles. Arranged by broad topics. The last issue of each volume provides indexes by author and scripture.

Finding the Article in the Library

After finding a citation to an article, use the OC Catalog to determine:
1. Is the journal in the OC Library? (If not, consider requesting it through interlibrary loan; articles requested through interlibrary loan usually arrive within two weeks.)
2. Is the journal on paper, fiche, or film?
3. Does the OC Library have the year you need?
To see if journal or magazine is available online, check the E-Journals List, which is linked from the library's home page ( www.oc.edu/library).

Other Sources of Information in the Library

Bible/Religious Dictionaries (Contain an alphabetical listing of terms; sometimes the entries are fairly extensive. Provide an introduction to a subject.) - All books listed in this section are in the Reference area of the library.

Contemporary American Religion (BL 2525 C65 2000)
Dictionary of Comparative Religions (BL 31 D54)
Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions, and the Occult (BL 31 M295 1993)
Handbook of Today's Religions (BL80.2 .M32)
A New Dictionary of Religions (BL 31 P48 1995)
Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (BL 31 O84 1997)
Perennial Dictionary of World Religions (BL 31 A24 1989)
Religion: A Cross-Cultural Dictionary (BL 80.2 L463 1998)

Bible/Religious Encyclopedias (Contain alphabetically arranged articles on specific subjects.) - All books listed in this section are in the Reference area of the library.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism (BX 8605.5 E62 1992 - 4 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Religion (BL 31 E46 1995 - 16 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (BL 31 E55x - 13 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion (BL 458 E53 1999 - 2 vols.)

Finding Web Sites

Consult the appropriate subject listing (Chemistry, Psychology, History, etc.) listed in the Find Web Sites section of the Library's Web site.

Do a search in WorldCat that is limited to "Internet Resources"

Use the following sites to search for scholarly information on the Web

Infomine
Google Scholar
Directory of Open Access Journals (a list of free online scientific & scholarly journals)

Search the Web for sites that provide information on your topic, but remember that many Web sites are not reliable and may provide false or misleading information. Some good search engines are:

Google (a search engine that emphasizes academic sites)
Altavista
Alltheweb
Yahoo!

More search engines are listed on the Library's Web site - click on Find Web Sites, then on Internet Search Services and Tools.

Some useful Web sites are:
1. Academic Info Religion: Subject Index (www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html)
2. Academic Info Religious Movements: Alternative Spirituality (www.academicinfo.net/nrmsalt.html)
3. Adherents.com (www.adherents.com)
4. Beliefnet.com (www.beliefnet.com/)
5. Comparative Religions (www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html)
6. Hartford Institute for Religion Research: New Religious Movements (http://hirr.hartsem.edu/denom/new_religious_movements.html)
7. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (nccam.nih.gov/)
8. The Religious Movements Homepage Project @ The University of Virginia (http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/)
9. Spiritual Counterfeits Project (www.scp-inc.org)

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary loan is a service provided to current OC students, faculty and staff to obtain materials NOT held in the OC Library within copyright limitations.
Interlibrary loan requests can be made in three ways:
1. By filling out the online form on the library's Web page
2. By filling out the paper forms available at the front desk
3. By clicking on the ILL button available in many of the research databases
To fill out the online form:
1. Go to library's Web site (www.oc.edu/library)
2. Select: Interlibrary loan (under Request It Online)
3. Type in the information about the book or article you'd like to request
4. Press the Send button.
When the material arrives, you will be notified by email that the item is available at the front desk.

Evaluating Sources of Information

Purpose	Documentation
Authority	Audience
Timeliness	Format
Scope

Purpose

What is the purpose? Is it to inform, persuade, present opinions, report research, or sell a product?
Can you tell what the purpose is? (The purpose should be clear from the title or introductory screens.)
Does the source fulfill the purpose?
Is it popular, scholarly, or trade?
- If it's a popular source (like a magazine), it may:
  1. be unsigned
  2. be written by someone outside the field
  3. have no references
  4. be written for the general public
  5. contain advertisements
- If it's a scholarly source (like a scholarly journal), it may:
  1. be signed
  2. be written by an expert
  3. provide the author's position and institution
  4. provide references
  5. be written for a small group of people with specific interests
  6. use specialized language
  7. be published by an association or scholarly press
- If it's a trade publication, it may:
  1. be targeted to a specific field
  2. contain articles written by staff writers or experts in the field
  3. have a colorful format similar to popular magazines
  4. provide references
  5. contain numerous advertisements that appeal to people in that field
  6. include limited footnotes or references to other works
Are any biases evident?

Authority

For all sources:
1. What are the author's qualifications? (Many Internet sources do not give the identity or credentials of the author or producer. Sources that do not give this information have questionable reliability.)
2. Can you contact the author?
3. Can the information be verified elsewhere?
For Web sites:
1. Is the site maintained by a well-known association or governmental agency?
2. What is the domain? (Many Internet sources are not reviewed before being posted; however, government, educational, and organizational sites often have some sort of review process. If no review process is stated or evident, you may assume there is none.)
  - .GOV = government
  - .COM = business
  - .ORG = organization
  - .EDU = educational affiliation
3. How permanent does the site appear? Has it existed long?
4. How many other sites reference this site?

Timeliness

When was the information published?
How current is the information?
Is the date of publication important to the subject matter? (In fields such as medicine, science, business, and technology, currency of information is important. In fields such as history and literature, older materials may be just as valuable as newer ones.)

Scope

What is the breadth of coverage?
Does the page provide more or less information than you need?

Documentation

Does the author refer to other works?
Does the source have a bibliography?

Audience

Who is the source meant for? A layperson or a specialist in the field?
Does it answer your question?

Format

Does the source have a clear, easy to read format?
How easy is the source to use?
Are there any special features, such as a bibliography, tables or charts?

Above all, "...trust no one." (William A. Katz)

If you don't believe us, take a look at the Web site Feline Reactions to Bearded Men. Or you can go to Urban Legends and Folklore, which lists a number of online hoaxes.

Please send comments or suggestions to library@oc.edu