Meet Your Librarian
You Might Also Like
How to Use This Guide
Welcome to the Tisch Library research guide for Religion. Use the table of contents to find definitions, topic overviews, books, articles, and more that will help you with your research.
If you don't find what you are looking for or need help navigating this guide or any of the resources it contains, don't hesitate to contact the author of this guide or Ask a Librarian.
Getting to Know Your Topic
Specialized reference sources--like dictionaries and subject encyclopedias, provide overviews of topics and descriptions of concepts and ideas. They can also provide definitions, statistics, and other details. 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.
The sources mentioned here normally also include bibliographies written by experts, which can provide a direct introduction to the important scholarly literature.
Religion: Background & Context
Online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries:
- Oxford Reference Online: ReligionA quick search of a small shelf of specialty dictionaries covering Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and other world religions. Excellent for people, places, things, and ideas.
- Encyclopedia of ReligionThe Encyclopedia of Religion is an electronic version of a classic source, a fifteen-volume scholarly overview of religions, ritual, mythology, dogma, the history of churches and their leaders, and much else. A good place to start for almost any topic. Articles are written by top scholars, and typically include strong bibliographies of primary and secondary literature on the topics discussed.
- New Dictionary of the History of IdeasTakes ideas such as "free will" and provides a systematic overview of the work all of the major thinkers on the subject. Includes excellent bibliographies.
- Encyclopaedia of IslamSets out the present state of knowledge of the Islamic World. A source not only on the religion, but also on the believers and the countries in which they live.
Single Topics in Religion:
Brill's Encyclopedia of HinduismCall Number: EbookThematically organized encyclopedia, presenting the latest research on all the main aspects of the Hindu traditions.
Buddhism and JainismCall Number: EbookThe Buddhist and Jain terms defined in this volume do not form a comprehensive list but they do provide an excellent starting point for research scholars who are seeking a deeper understanding of key topics connected with these two traditions.
Encyclopaedia JudaicaCall Number: EbookIncludes more than 21,000 entries on Jewish life, culture, history, and religion, written by Israeli, American and European subject specialists.
The Encyclopedia of ChristianityCall Number: Tisch Reference BR95 .E8913 1999Describes Christianity through its 2000-year history within a global context, taking into account other religions and philosophies.
Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and ReligionCall Number: Tisch Reference BL1005 .L4813 1994Offers a complete survey of the four major religious traditions of Asia.
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim WorldCall Number: EbookThis title looks at Islam's role in the modern world, doing so in the context of the religion's history and development over the last 13 centuries.
Search Across Multiple Online Encyclopedias
- 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.
- 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.
- Gale eBooksGale eBooks is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.