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Books and Articles from SCU Library
Use keywords to strategically search for both books and articles. Try to get as specific as possible for this part, since you've already browsed around in background information sources using more general terms. Use the syntax examples below to construct a simple search in OSCAR or a database, or break them out onto separate lines and use other limiters in an advanced search. Every database including OSCAR has a simple search option and an advanced search option.
Search Tips
- Use the word and to connect keyword search terms with other, different keyword search terms. You can do this on one line as you see below, or you can break out each keyword term to its own line (if presented with that option on the search interface).
- You can try out these keyword combinations in OSCAR, but you should also try them out in the databases discussed later.
- The examples below demonstrate that syntax, although you will have to play with keywords beyond what you see here.
- Use * to truncate a word so that the system searched for any ending of the word (latin* = latino, latina, latinx)
- Put quotes around phrases that you want the system to search for in that exact order.
Examples:
- christian nationalism and evangelic*
- afrofuturism and spiritual*
- "indians of north america" and climat*
- latin* and catholic*
- "American Civil Religion"
- religion and (name of place, e.g., san jose or california)
- buddhism and corporate mindfulness
- queer christianity and american context
- ("christian gays") or ("christian lesbians") or ("christian queers")
- (queer or gay* or lesbian*) and christian* and ("United States" or America)
- muslim* and activis* and (united states or america)
While these keyword search examples were fashioned for OSCAR, they can also work in any number of databases.
Books
Search OSCAR, the SCU Library Catalog, to connect to ebooks online and to request physical books from the library.
- OSCAR - SCU Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Articles and Book Chapters
Use one or more of the databases below to search for scholarly articles and book chapters courtesy of the SCU Library's subscriptions.
Note: If you don't see a link for the PDF of the article, follow the link called "Find it @ SCU," which will take you to another database with the PDF, or take you to OSCAR to see if SCU Library has the book that contains the book chapter. If that is not available, request the article or book chapter through InterLibrary Loan.
I recommend limiting your search to Scholarly / Peer Reviewed Journals on the left side of your results screen.
- ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials This link opens in a new windowIndex to periodicals, research in ministry, book reviews in religion and Methodist reviews. 1949-present. Updated semi-annually. Includes online versions of the entire runs of a core collection of more than fifty significant scholarly periodicals in the field of religion, most of which go back to 1949.
- Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowIndexes and abstracts articles at least one column in length from over 544 different English language periodicals in the social sciences, which includes anthropology, psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, political science, economics, geography, urban studies, and more. Fulltext of articles are available from about 175 of these periodicals. Indexing goes back to 1983. Abstracts began with January 1994. Fulltext availability varies title to title, but may go back to 1995. Updated daily. For indexing of articles appearing prior to 1983, use Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowThis database is a primary resource for accessing the latest research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serials publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Records added after 1974 contain in-depth and nonevaluative abstracts of journal articles. 1963-present. Updated monthly.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary database providing access to more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. It also offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals. Covers a wide range of academic topics including business, education, social sciences, humanities, science, & engineering. Coverage varies, with some publications going back to 1911.
- OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowThis multi-disciplinary database provides the complete content - indexing, abstracts, and full text - from six of Wilson's full-text databases: Education Full Text, General Science Full Text, Humanities Full Text, Readers' Guide Full Text, Social Sciences Full Text, and Business Full Text. Full-text articles from five additional periodical databases are also included when available: Applied Science & Technology Full Text, Art Full Text, Biological & Agricultural Index, Index to Legal Periodicals & Books, and Library Literature & Information Science Full Text. Indexing begins in 1982, abstracts in 1984, and full-text coverage in 1994. Updated daily.