Finding Books, Articles & More! - CLAS 3350 - History of Ancient and Medieval Christianity - Michelson

Abbreviations & Call #'s

Dealing with Abbreviations!

Journal names are often abbreviated in bibliographies, and deciphering them can be quite a chore.

Below is an online abbreviation lists from the American Journal of Archaeology as well as a more comprehensive print resource in our reference collection.

Dictionary of Bibliographic Abbreviations Found in the Scholarship of Classical Studies and Related Disciplines
Call Number: Central Reference 6th-flr Payne: PA99 .W44 2003
ISBN: 0313321418

How to Read a Call #!

I've got a call #, now what?

Click the link below for more information.

How to Read a Call Number

Books, Articles and More!

Vanderbilt University Library Catalog

Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:

Library Catalog vs. VU Collections vs. Articles

Search Scope	What is included?	When should I use it?
Library Catalog	Broadest search scope Results will include books and ebooks, articles, and media like DVDs	A great option when you are just beginning your research process. Use Library Catalog when you want to survey the research landscape for your topic
VU Collections	Focuses on VU owned items, physical and digital Results will include books and ebooks, and media like DVDs Digital collections like the TV News Archive will also be included in your results	You have defined your information needs Use VU Collections when you are ready to create a tailored search for your topic
Articles	Content from selected VU databases Popular and scholarly articles	Use Articles to find popular and scholarly articles on your topic. The Articles scope does not search across all databases accessible to the Vanderbilt community. Not finding the articles you need or want more database options? Consult the Database A-Z

For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?

Keyword vs. Subject Searching

Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question.

Step 2: Use these keywords for your initial searches.

Step 3: Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search.

Highlight Subjects in Library Catalog Record - A Threat to Public Piety

Try a SUBJECT search using one of the Library of Congress Subject Headings listed below:

Church history		Church history Historiography
Sacrifice Christianity		Christianity and culture
Lord's Supper History		Christianity and other religions
Persecution History Early Church, ca. 30-600		Church history Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600

The following databases will help you find articles on your topic:

Classics and Medieval Studies Databases

Année Philologique This link opens in a new window
lndex for research in Classics. Entries cover articles, books, book reviews, Festschrifte, and other collections dealing with the ancient Greek and Roman world, from the second millennium BCE to approximately 800 CE.
Dyabola This link opens in a new window
Index of material on all areas of Mediterranean and and Near Eastern archaeology and philology from prehistory to the Byzantine era. Citations for books, book reviews, chapters, articles, and festschriften.
Access Note: Select the flag corresponding to the search interface language you desire.
International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary bibliography of the European Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Periodicals and miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, essay collections, Festschriften, and exhibition catalogues).
Coverage: 400-1500
TOCS-IN: Tables of Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists This link opens in a new window
Tables of contents of classics, near eastern studies, and religion journals.
Coverage: 1992-.

Art and Religion Databases

Art Full Text and Art Index Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive resource for art literature: articles, indexing and abstracting of journals, and art dissertations; covering fine, decorative, and commercial art, folk art, photography, film, and architecture. Includes indexing of publications, and citations of book reviews. Indexing of art reproductions provides examples of styles and art movements, including works by emerging artists.
Coverage: 1929 to present.
ATLA (American Theological Library Association) Religion Database with ATLA Serials (Alumni Access) This link opens in a new window
Index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion. Some full text. Alumni login using their VUNetID.
To obtain or reset a VUNetID, submit a request via the link Ask a Librarian with your full name, school name and the year of graduation.
Coverage: 19th century to present
Index Religiosus This link opens in a new window
Includes "Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique" and "Brepolis Religion – Bibliographies and Encyclopaedias," Covers articles, books, and reviews that deal with different aspects of the Church’s history (institutions, orders, congregations, people, hagiography, etc.). Not limited to church history; also takes into account political history, social and economic history, archaeology, history of art, music, architecture, relations with Islam and Judaism, etc.
New Testament Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstracts of periodical articles, reviews of books and software, and summaries of books focused on the New Testament. Periodical abstracts cover publications in many languages.
Coverage: 1985 to present (article coverage).

General Databases

ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Search all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Digital humanities and social science scholarly journals from university presses and scholarly societies.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Large and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.

What is ?

FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.

An FAQ for FindIt@VU is also available.

Specialized Ebook Collections with Classical Studies & Religion Content

Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
Articles and books on Archaeology, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Some content in Business & Management, Economics & Finance, Literature, Psychology, and Religion.
Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new window
Collection of Cambridge titles covering literature, classics, philosophy, religion and cultural studies.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Journals, books, reference works, laboratory protocols and databases covering life, health and physical sciences, social science, and the humanities.
Loeb Classical Library This link opens in a new window
Greek and Latin literature. Epic and lyric poetry, tragedy and comedy, history, travel, philosophy, oratory, medical writers and mathematicians; and Church Fathers who made particular use of pagan culture. Latin, Greek, and English texts.

General Ebook Collections

Ebook Central (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Ebooks from publishers in all academic subject areas.
eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Large collection of ebooks in many subjects.
Access Note: Titles restricted to 1 user at a time and become available to other users after 30 minutes of inactivity. Create a user account (click "Sign In" at the top and then "Create a New Account") for many more options, such as saving, folders, and alerts.
ACLS Humanities E-Book This link opens in a new window
American Council of Learned Societies's collection of ebooks in the humanities.