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Course 23 · Lesson 3.2

Finding articles, books and reference works with free and library tools

11 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 23 outline

Module 1: How Research Works

  1. What research is and what a scholarly paper is for
  2. From topic to question: writing a research question that can be answered
  3. The working thesis and how it changes as research develops
  4. Taking notes, recording sources and organizing a project
  5. Academic integrity: quotation, paraphrase and plagiarism

Module 2: Primary and Secondary Sources

  1. Primary and secondary sources in theology and church history
  2. Source criticism: author, date, audience, purpose and transmission
  3. Translations, editions and the problem of reading ancient texts in English
  4. Judging the reliability of a source, including websites and popular books

Module 3: Finding and Reading Scholarship

  1. How peer review works and what it does not guarantee
  2. Finding articles, books and reference works with free and library tools
  3. Reading a scholarly work efficiently and critically
  4. Writing a literature review: summarizing a debate

Module 4: Citation

  1. Chicago notes and bibliography: books, articles and chapters
  2. Citing the Fathers, councils, creeds and online sources
  3. Biblical citation conventions: books, abbreviations, versions and numbering
  4. Managing a bibliography and checking citations

Module 5: Evaluating Arguments and Bias

  1. The anatomy of an argument: claim, evidence, assumption and conclusion
  2. Common fallacies and weak arguments in theological writing
  3. Identifying bias in sources: confessional, ideological and commercial
  4. Confirmation bias in your own work, and ways to reduce it

Module 6: Constructing Arguments and Writing

  1. Building a theological argument from Scripture, tradition and reason
  2. Outlining and drafting a research paper
  3. Clear analytical prose: paragraphs, transitions and plain language
  4. Revising, editing and checking quotations and facts

All courses

Program / Course 23: Research Methodology / Lesson 3.2

What you will learn

  • Use library catalogs, scholarly search tools and reference works to find sources on a question.
  • Follow footnotes and bibliographies from one good source to others.
  • Use search terms and filters effectively, including alternative names and spellings.
  • Locate free digitized primary sources and open access scholarship, and record where they came from.

The big idea

Finding sources is a skill that can be learned. The best method combines three moves: start with reference works to learn the vocabulary and the main names, search catalogs and scholarly databases with varied terms, and then follow the footnotes and bibliographies of the best sources to find more. Free tools, public libraries and open access collections make serious research possible without large expense. Record each find at once, so that the search can be repeated and the sources cited.

Key terms

Library catalog
A database listing the books, journals and other items a library holds, searchable by author, title, subject and keyword.
Database
An organized collection of records, such as article citations, that can be searched. Some are free and some are licensed through libraries.
Keyword search
A search using words likely to appear in the title or text of the item sought.
Subject heading
A standard term used by libraries to group works on the same topic, which can lead to related items.
Open access
Scholarship that is free to read online, often published under permission from the author or publisher.
Interlibrary loan
A service by which a library obtains a book or article from another library for a patron.
Citation chaining
Finding new sources by following the footnotes and bibliography of a source you already have, or by finding who has cited it.
Digitized collection
A set of scanned books or manuscripts made available online, often from libraries and archives.

Background

A hundred years ago, serious research meant a trip to a large library. Today much can be done from home, but the underlying problem is the same: to find what has been written and decide what matters. The abundance of online results makes selection harder. A student who types a topic into a general search engine will find a mix of useful and useless pages. A student who knows where scholarship lives will find better things sooner.

Several kinds of tool serve different purposes. Reference works, such as specialist encyclopedias and dictionaries of the church, give orientation and bibliography. Library catalogs find books. Article databases find journal articles; the best for religion are licensed and are available through many university and some public libraries, and a number of free tools also exist. Scholarly search engines and open access collections find articles that are free to read. Digital libraries hold scanned older books, and several sites host public domain translations and editions of the Fathers and other primary texts.

Libraries are underused. Public libraries often offer access to databases from home with a library card, and can request books and articles for you through interlibrary loan. University libraries sometimes allow visitors to use their collections in the building. Librarians are trained to help with just this kind of search, and most are glad to be asked.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Start with reference works

Read an article on your topic in a specialist encyclopedia or dictionary, such as one on the Fathers, on the church or on the Bible, and in a general survey. Note the names, technical terms, key dates and the works the article recommends. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, for instance, is free online and is written by specialists, with bibliographies.

Write down the alternative names and spellings you meet: Augustine of Hippo, Aurelius Augustinus; Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom; Chalcedon, Calchedon. You will need them for searching.

Step 2: Search catalogs and databases with varied terms

Search your library’s catalog by author, title and subject. Try the subject headings that show up on good books, which can lead you to others on the shelf. Use WorldCat, a union catalog of many libraries, to see what exists and where it can be borrowed.

For articles, use any religion database your library offers, and also free scholarly search tools such as Google Scholar, which finds articles and shows who has cited them. Combine terms, use quotation marks for exact phrases, and try synonyms. Limit by date, but look at older classics too.

Step 3: Follow the footnotes

The most efficient way to find the key literature is to read a recent, good scholarly book or article and use its notes and bibliography. Names that appear again and again are the central voices in the field. Then look for who has cited those works in turn, which gives you the later responses.

Read a few book reviews of important works. They place a book in the debate and often point out strengths and weaknesses.

Step 4: Use free digital collections for primary sources

Several free collections host primary sources. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library and New Advent offer many translations of the Fathers, though often in older translations. The Internet Archive and HathiTrust hold scanned books, with full text for many public domain works. The Perseus Digital Library offers Greek and Latin texts of classical and some Christian authors with tools for word study.

For each text, find out which edition or translation it reproduces, as the previous lessons advise. Record where you found it and the date.

Step 5: Get what you cannot find, and keep records

If a book or article is not free, ask a librarian about interlibrary loan or document delivery. Many scholars also post their work in open access repositories, and a search for the exact title may find a free copy that the author has permission to share.

Keep a search log with the date, tool, terms used and results. When you find a source, record its full details at once, as in Lesson 1.4. Stop searching when the same names and works keep returning.

  1. What names, terms and spellings did the reference works give me?
  2. Which important books and articles keep appearing in footnotes?
  3. Have I searched by author, subject and keyword, not only one?
  4. Do I know which edition of each primary text I am using?
  5. Have I asked a librarian for help?
  6. Is the same set of works coming back, and if so, am I near the end of my search?

Examples

Citation chaining

A student reads a recent article on Gregory of Nyssa and notices that five authors are cited repeatedly. She finds their books, reads the reviews, and uses a scholarly search tool to see who has cited them since. In an afternoon she has a map of the field. (A constructed example.)

Alternative spellings

A search for ‘Athanasius’ finds many results, but a search for ‘Athanase’ finds French scholarship and ‘Athanasios’ finds Greek studies. Using variants widens the search. (A constructed example of the method.)

Interlibrary loan

A small public library does not own a scholarly monograph, but a librarian can request it from a university library for a small fee or none. The student receives it in two weeks.

A free primary text

A student wants to read the Letters of Ignatius. She finds an English translation in an online library, notes that it reproduces a nineteenth century translation, and finds a library copy of a modern translation to compare.

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic libraries, such as those of universities and religious orders, hold large collections of theology and patristics, and many Catholic publishers offer editions and translations of the Fathers. Church documents such as papal encyclicals and council decrees are widely available in print and online from the Church’s own offices. A researcher should still note the translation used.

Orthodox

Orthodox seminaries and monasteries publish translations of the Fathers and of liturgical and ascetic texts, and many are available online or in print. The Philokalia and the works of the Cappadocians are examples of texts with several translations. Reading a Father in an Orthodox edition and in a university edition can show different editorial choices.

Protestant

Protestant seminaries and publishers have produced reference works, commentaries and translations, and some of the largest free digital collections of Christian texts were created by Protestant projects. The Reformers’ own works are published in critical editions and standard English collections. As always, the reader should check which edition is used.

Librarians and information scientists

Librarians recommend starting broad and then narrowing, using several tools, recording searches, and learning how databases differ. They warn that a single search engine shows only part of the literature, and that the first results are not necessarily the best.

Why it matters

A paper is only as good as the sources behind it, and many students settle for the first results they find. Learning to search methodically means that you find the central works, see the real debate and avoid relying on poor material. It also means that research does not depend on wealth or institutional access, since libraries and free collections put a great deal in reach.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: If it is not in the first page of search results, it does not exist.

Correction: Search engines rank by many things unrelated to quality. Use catalogs, databases and citation chaining, and try variant terms, to find what simple searches miss.

Misunderstanding: Good research needs expensive subscriptions.

Correction: Public libraries, interlibrary loan, open access journals and free digital libraries make a great deal available. A librarian can help you find what is within reach.

Misunderstanding: Free online texts of the Fathers are all I need.

Correction: They are valuable but often in older translations from older texts. For close argument, check key passages in a modern translation or critical edition.

Misunderstanding: Searching is finished when I find enough sources.

Correction: Searching is finished when the same works keep returning and the main positions are represented. Quantity is not the test.

Knowledge check

What is citation chaining?

Citation chaining is finding new sources by following the footnotes and bibliography of a good source, and by finding later works that cite it. Names and titles that appear repeatedly are likely to be central. It is an efficient way to map the main literature on a question after a first reading.

Why should you record alternative names and spellings?

Writers and places appear under different names in different languages and periods, and catalogs and databases may list works under any of them. Searching only one form misses sources. Collecting variants from reference works lets you search more completely, including foreign language scholarship.

What is interlibrary loan and why use it?

Interlibrary loan is a service by which a library borrows a book or obtains a copy of an article from another library for a patron. It gives access to works that a local library lacks, and is often free or cheap. It extends the reach of a researcher far beyond one collection.

How should you treat a free online translation of a Father?

It is a useful starting point, but you should find out which translator and edition it reproduces, since many online texts are older public domain translations based on older editions. Record the source and date, and check key passages against a modern translation or critical edition if your argument depends on them.

Think it through

  1. Where do you usually begin a search for information? What kinds of results does that method miss?
  2. What would it be like to ask a librarian for help with a research question?
  3. Why might the same text look different in a Catholic, an Orthodox and a Protestant edition?
  4. How do you know when you have searched enough?

Independent assignment

A search report

In your own notebook, take your research question and carry out a systematic search. Write a report of about 400 words listing the reference works you read, the catalogs and databases you used, the terms you tried, and the sources you found, with full details of at least eight. Mark which are primary and which are secondary, and which are free and which you would need to borrow. Say what you would do next. Do not send this to anyone.

Further study