Religion and Social Issues: Use Databases

Databases

A database is a searchable collection of information. Library databases may contain newspapers, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and book chapters.

                                 
All databases are different, yet they share some commonalities:

• You can search for peer reviewed, or scholarly, articles by keyword.
• You can find full text articles, either attached to the record, or by pressing the Find It! Button
• You can limit by date.
• Many of them allow you to email and cite sources using the database options.

Explore all ECU databases here.

You can filter by subject, search for a keyword like "religion," or search for a database by name.

This video gives a brief overview of databases and their contents.

These databases and journals are suggested for your topic, but keep in mind that others may be useful as well.

Recommended databases

Social Sciences, General

Arts and Humanities (ProQuest)
A collection of full-text scholarly articles from across the humanities. Topics include: art and design, history, philosophy, music, literature, theater, and cultural studies. Content spans 1973 – Present.

Credo Reference (ProQuest)
A full-text database of reference ebooks, including encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauri, handbooks, readers’ guides, atlases, primary source materials, and image and video collections. It includes over 600 titles covering the primary disciplines of Higher Education.

SAGE Research Methods 
Provides books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos from across the social sciences.

Social Science Database 
Research covering topics in sociology, social work, anthropology, and politics.

Religion, General

ATLA Religion Database 
Provides information on topics such as biblical studies, biblical archaeology,world religions, church history, and religion in social issues. Content spans: 1949 - present

Religion (ProQuest)
Contains blend of abstracts, indexing and full-text sources. Covers a diverse selection of religious and spiritual studies. Content spans 1986 – present. 

Twentieth Century Religious Thought
A collection of seminal works and archival materials related to worldwide religious thought from the early 20th to the 21st century. Provides resources on Christian-Muslim-Jewish relations and key concepts in theology across religions, including Eastern Religions.

Religion and Gender

Everyday Life & Women in America
Contains thousands of fully searchable images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes. Content spans: c1800-1920

SocINDEX with Full Text 
An extensive index of bibliographic information for sociology research. Provides records from leading sociology journals. Topics include: gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion and social work. 

Women’s Studies Archive: Women’s Issues and Identities
A collection of manuscripts, periodicals and newspapers covering women’s issues from past to present. Topics include consumer culture, economics/marketing, family life, fashion, gender studies, health and fitness, home/interior design, popular culture and social history.

Religion and Sexuality

Archives of Sexuality & Gender
Provides historical records, personal correspondence, interviews, gay and lesbian newspapers, policy statements and other documents related to gay rights and health. Content spans 1940-Present. 

LGBTQ+ Source 
Contains blend of abstracts, indexing, full-text and includes links to full text. Covers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues. Content spans 1990’s – present.

LGBT Studies in Video 
A cinematic survey of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community. Topics include: LGBT history, gay culture and subcultures, civil rights, marriage equality, LGBT families, AIDS, transgender issues, religious perspectives on homosexuality, and other topics.

LGBT Thought and Culture 
Covers key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Topics include: LGBT cultural studies, history, women’s and gender studies, political science, sociology and more. Content spans late 19th C – early 21st C.

Religion and Science

Issues & Controversies 
Provides full-text up-to-date, in-depth factual information on a broad range of current issues and controversies. Chronologies, illustrations, maps, tables, sidebars, bibliographies and contact information augment the balanced coverage of current and historical events. Content spans 1995 – present. 

Religion and Violence

Political Extremism and Radicalism 
Political Extremism and Radicalism series provides insight on unorthodox (by contemporary standards), fringe groups from both the right and left of the political spectrum through rare, hard to access primary sources. Content supports scholars and students answering questions on philosophical, social, political, and economic ideologies as well as on contemporary issues surrounding gender, sexuality, race, religion, civil rights, universal suffrage, and much more.

Sociology (ProQuest) 
Contains blend of abstracts, indexing and full-text. Sociological and social work research including culture and social structure, history and theory of sociology, social psychology, substance abuse and addiction, and more. Topics include: community and mental health services, crisis intervention, the family and social welfare,poverty and homelessness, social work practice, violence, abuse and neglect. Content spans 1985 – present.