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Oxford University Press has published numerous reference collections that are often a great place to start your research. The Oxford Research Encyclopedia: Religion is likely to be a great starting point, but be sure to look at the other options as well.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion
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Digital encyclopedia covering the field of religion. Along with essays, the resource also includes audio and visual content. Encompasses the study of scriptures, practices, social contexts, and history across religious traditions, various eras and places from diverse perspectives.
- Oxford Research EncyclopediasIn addition to the ORE on religion, you might also be interested in our other OREs on the following topics:
- US history
- African history
- Asian history
- Latin American history
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineAnnotated bibliographies on the following topics:
- African Studies
- Art History
- Cinema and Media Studies
- Islamic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Latino Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Music
- Public Health
- Renaissance and Reformation
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineSimilar to the Research Encyclopedias, the Handbooks provide lengthy encyclopedic articles by experts. IUB affiliates currently have access to some or all of the following subseries:
- Business and Management
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Economics and Finance
- History
- Law
- Literature
- Music
- Philosophy
- Physical Sciences
- Political Science
- Sociology
Topical Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Blackwell CompanionsThe Blackwell Companion series cover a huge range of topics, including topics of interest to historians and history students.
- Brepolis Medieval Encyclopedia
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Combines access to the Lexikon des Mittelalters with a supplement, the International Encyclopaedia for the Middle Ages. The Lexikon des Mittelalters online contains some 37,000 signed articles and covers all aspects of medieval studies for the period 300 to 1500.
- New Pauly Online
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Unrivalled reference work for the ancient world, including fifteen volumes on Greco-Roman antiquity, and five volumes on the Classical Tradition.
- Brill's Medieval Reference Library
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Access to reference works in medieval studies. Includes four Brill encyclopedias - Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage, Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle, Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles c. 450-1450, and Brill's Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages.
- Database of Religious History
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For scholars, researchers, teachers and the general public, the DRH will function as a gateway to reliable, comprehensive knowledge concerning the history of religions around the world, and cultural history more generally.
- Encyclopaedia Judaica
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Authoritative reference resource for Jewish knowledge and life
- Encyclopedia of World Religions
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Encyclopedia of World Religions is a new series from Facts On File that explores the major religions of the world, emphasizing the living faiths and their historical and social background. Each volume was written by an expert in the field, and reviewed and approved by series editor, J. Gordon Melton.
- Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception Online
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Covers the current state of knowledge on the origins and development of the Bible in its different canonic forms in Judaism and Christianity. Also documents the history of the Bible's reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; in Islam, in other religious traditions and current religious movements, Western and non-Western alike, as well as in literature, art, music, and film. - Encyclopaedia of Islam Online (English)
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The standard reference work in the field of Islamic studies; electronic access to the 2nd ed., enhanced by the inclusion of an Index of proper names and an Index of subjects, and the ongoing 3rd ed.
- Oxford Classical Dictionary, Third Edition
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Reference work on the classical world. Covers all aspects of ancient life - political, economic, philosophical, religious, artistic, and social. Includes over six thousand entries ranging from long articles to brief definitions. There is substantial coverage of women in the ancient world, sexuality, Asia and the Far East, Judaism, and early Christians. Thematic articles reflect the current emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches to classical studies.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion byCall Number: E-resourceISBN: 9780190667566Publication Date: 2020"In this extensive resource, readers will find authoritative overviews of the key topics, theories, and findings in religion and politics. Social scientists have closely observed religion at multiple levels of analysis, across a long time span, and in diverse outlets. As a result, it can be difficult for new researchers and interested observers to understand the state of the field. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion addresses that need, and is therefore essential reading for all who seek to understand some of the most important issues and questions facing the world, including the role of regulation of religion by states, how religion is linked to civil war, whether religion is compatible with democracy, how religion structures political behavior and public opinion, how religious parties behave, and much more"
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America byCall Number: E-resourceISBN: 9780190456160Publication Date: 2018"This encyclopedia consists of a groundbreaking collection of detailed scholarly articles that address a wide range of topics in American religious history and culture, all written by experts in their fields. It is not an amalgam of articles on the traditionally invoked topics that have directed thinking about religion in America. Rather, it is organized in a way that utilizes the most recent categories of scholarly research to identify the crucial themes, events, people, places, and ideas that have constituted the rich history of religion in America. It is arranged in five sections: Space, Religious Ideas, Race and Ethnicity, Public Life, and Empire. In each section, a range of articles address the religious lives of Americans and the institutions, theologies, and social forces that have influenced those lives and given shape to a broad cultural landscape of religion in America."
- Oxford Reference Library
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Reference resources from the Oxford University Press. Includes English dictionaries and thesauruses, English language reference books, bilingual dictionaries, quotations, maps and illustrations, timelines and subject reference sources.
- Pluralism Project: Religions
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An introduction to the world’s religious traditions through the lens of America
- Wiley Online Library
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Provides access to over 3 million journal articles, online books, major reference works, and leading industry databases. - World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy
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Information covering beliefs such as Hinduism, Christianity, Shintoism, Confucianism, and more, including Humanism, Agnosticism and Wicca
Biographical Information
- American National Biography
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Includes over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential, or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars, reflecting the diversity of American life from pre-colonial times to the present day.
- Ancestry Library Edition
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Popular consumer online genealogy resource that includes birth, death, and marriage records as well as searchable manuscript census records for the U.S. 1790-1930. Similar records are also available for the U.K., Germany, and a few other countries. Only works with the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari browsers.
- Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
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Biography is built on a foundation of more than 600,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
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Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) provides more than 20 million biographical citations on more than 6 millions persons, living and deceased, from all fields of activity, covering more than 2,000 years of human history.
- Current Biography Illustrated (H.W. Wilson)
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Full text biographies, images, and obituaries from the entire run of Current Biography - Marquis Who’s Who
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Database containing profiles on over 1.5 million individuals from all fields, including: government, business, science and technology, the arts, entertainment, and sports. Search by name, gender, occupation, geography, hobbies and interests, religion and more. - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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Biographies of those who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century.