Reference Sources: Getting to Know Your Topic
Reference sources provide important background and contextual information on your subject. Reference sources include bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks. A reference source usually provides an overview of a topic without arguing for a specific perspective on the topic. You can use this type of source to help narrow your research topic, find data to support your thesis, and identify keywords and main ideas to use as search terms.
This page includes some of the most relevant resources for this topic. But be sure to explore the online reference resources listed here or browse the shelves in the Reference Collection to find more!
Religion & Politics in American History: Background & Context
Online Encyclopedias:
- Encyclopedia of American Religious HistoryIn hundreds of thoughtful, informative entries, Encyclopedia of American Religious History outlines the numerous philosophers, personalities, social issues, and cultural histories of religious practices throughout American history.
- Encyclopedia of Politics and ReligionThe Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion traces the roots of the relationship between politics and religion from antiquity to today, revealing how it has shaped public discourse, social attitudes, collective action and national and international policy, particularly during the past two centuries.
- Encyclopedia of Religion and the Law in AmericaExtensive A-Z entries provide coverage of key court decisions, case studies, concepts, individuals, religious groups, organizations, and agencies shaping religion and law in today's society.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in AmericaThe Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America brings together state-of-the-art articles on key topics in the study of religion in America. Scroll down for a full list of articles
- The Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political HistoryProvides comprehensive coverage of both the traditional topics of U.S. political history and the broader forces that shape American politics--including economics, religion, social movements, race, class, and gender.
Online Handbooks:
The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States by Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9780195326246Publication Date: 2010This handbook presents a scholarly look at the intricacies and past and current debates that frame the American system of church and state, within 5 main areas: history, politics, sociology, theology/philosophy and law.
The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics by Call Number: Online / Tisch Library Book Stacks BL2525.O94 2009ISBN: 9780195326529Publication Date: 2009Scholarly essays on topics related to religion as a force in American politics including history, voting behavior, public opinion, media, and more.
- The Religious Right: A Reference Handbook
Examines the religious right and its influence on our government, citizens, society, and politics. From the fight to outlaw the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution to the struggle to outlaw abortion, the religious right is continually exerting an influence on public policy.
Print Resources in Tufts Libraries Collections:
Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics
Call Number: Reference BL2525 .E52 1999This encyclopedia is an A-to-Z listing of a broad range of topics related to religious issues and politics, ranging from the religious freedom sought by the Pilgrims in the 1620s to the rise of the religious right in the 1980s.
Encyclopedia of Religion in AmericaCall Number: Reference BL2520 .E52 2010Encyclopedia of Religion in America examines how religious history and practices are woven into the political, social, cultural, and historical landscape of North America.Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture & Strategic Choices
Call Number: Book Stacks BL2525 .F77 2019Religion and politics are never far from the headlines, but their relationship remains complex and often confusing. This book offers an engaging, accessible, and balanced treatment of religion in American politics.
Religion and Politics in the United StatesCall Number: Book Stacks BL2525 .W35 2018The authors show how religion plays a fascinating and crucial role in our nation's political process and in our culture at large.
Bibliographies:
- Oxford BibliographiesHigh-level overviews of scholarship written by top names in the field get researchers and faculty up to speed quickly on topics beyond an area of expertise.
Search Across Multiple Online Encyclopedias
Didn't find what you need in the specialized resources above? Then try simultaneously searching across multiple online reference works in the resources listed here.
- Credo ReferenceOnline reference resources from numerous publishers. This reference resource can be searched by individual title, broad subject headings, cross-references, audio and images. Use its research mapper to search for terms and topics that are interconnected and displayed in (a) visual form. Examples of titles are: Bloomsbury Guide to Art, Bridgeman Art Library Archive, Columbia Encyclopedia, Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Harvard Dictionary of Music, and the Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. The complete list of titles is available on the CREDO Reference site.
- Oxford ReferenceProvides web access to more than 100 major Oxford University Press dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference works in the humanities, social sciences, foreign languages, science, technology and medicine, the performing arts, and religion. Works can be searched separately or across the entire databases. Includes over 1.5 million entries.
- SAGE KnowledgeThe SAGE Knowledge platform provides cross-searching of SAGE resources including reference works, ebooks, and CQ Press. Included titles represent many disciplines within the social sciences such as juvenile justice, terrorism, social theory, crime, African American society, social welfare, education and many more themes.