Bible Study Tools: Find Articles

Need to find a particular journal in our print or online collections? Then our journal finder tool (sometimes called Full Text Finder) is where you should start. Simply type the journal title into the search box, and you will get a list of where you can find the journal, both in print and online.

The following online databases, most relevant to biblical studies, contain journal articles, books, essay, reviews, and more. For a complete list of the databases available at PTS, go to the Articles & Databases section of the library website. For more information on using databases, see the Finding Articles online guide.

The library catalog can be used to search for not only print journals, but also online journals. To find journal articles, follow these steps:

• Go to the library catalog.
• Enter terms in the search box at the top of the page. You may want to click on some of the suggested searches links for Old Testament or New Testament Bible commentaries, or for finding books.
• Click Search.
• In the results list to the left of the page, you will see that you can limit your search by author, subject, format, etc. You'll also see near the top of the left-hand column a tab called 'Library Results.' This is the results list you're currently viewing, and includes physical library resources (such as print books) and ebooks. You will see a tab next to the Library Results tab called 'Database Search.'
• Click on the Database Search tab.
• This results list includes resources from our online journals and databases. Sometimes, you'll just get the information about the article, and no full-text option. An article that is available in full-text will have either a Full Text or EDS Full Text button off to the right of the title.
• You may also limit the Database Search results by clicking on the links to the far right of the page, including subject, date of publication, etc.
• If it's available, click on the full-text button to read and/or print the article. For current PTS students, staff, and faculty, interlibrary loan may be used to obtain articles in the results list that aren't available in full-text.

For more search information, see the Finding Articles online guide.

The following instructions will aid you in finding articles that explore particular Bible passages.

Search #1 - Scripture Passages

• Access ATLA Religion Database w/ ATLASerials PLUS.
• Click on the 'Scriptures' link above the search boxes.

• Go through the list of books by using the 'Next' link until you find the book of the Bible you're interested in.
• Click on the [Expand] link.
• Go through the list of chapters by using the 'Next' link until you find the right chapter.
• Do NOT click on the [Expand] link. Instead, click on the chapter link (i.e. Chapter 11). By doing this, you will get all the results for a particular chapter, which will include all the results you'd get by narrowing to a verse in addition to other results that might be just as relevant.
• You will then get a list of results, and will see the search entered in the search box above (see image below).

• You can add more chapters by using the same format as you see above, and by using the connector 'OR.'

• Consider using limits in the column on the left to narrow your results to 'Scholarly (Peer Reviewed)' articles, by Publication Date (after 1985 is recommended), or by Language (many articles in ATLA Religion are written in French, German, and other languages).

NOTE: Using the Full Text limit will narrow your results list to only those records that have a full-text article. However, since you can request articles through interlibrary loan, you may want to consider NOT using the Full Text limit. Otherwise, you may miss the perfect article!

Search #2: Topical Information

• Access ATLA Religion Database w/ ATLASerials PLUS.
• Click on the 'Scriptures' link above the search boxes.

• Go through the list of books by using the 'Next' link until you find the book of the Bible you're interested in.
• Click on the book link (i.e. Genesis). This will enter it into the search box and give you results for that book of the Bible. Depending on the book of the Bible, you will likely have a high number of results.
• In the second search box, add a topic that you want to focus on in the particular book of the Bible. Add quotes if it is a phrase.

• Depending on how many results you have, consider using limits in the column on the left to narrow your results to 'Scholarly (Peer Reviewed)' articles, by Publication Date (after 1985 is recommended), or by Language (many articles in ATLA Religion are written in French, German, and other languages).

NOTE: Using the Full Text limit will narrow your results list to only those records that have a full-text article. However, since you can request articles through interlibrary loan, you may want to consider NOT using the Full Text limit. Otherwise, you may miss the perfect article!