Guides: Biblical Studies Research: Best Database Indexes for Biblical Studies

Best Databases for Biblical Studies

Database	Indexing Strength	Example Jounals Indexed
ATLA Religion database with ATLASerials	Systematic Theology Biblical Studies Church History	Journal of Theological Studies Catholic Biblical Quarterly Journal of Early Christian Studies
New Testament Abstracts	Biblical Studies - New Testament	Journal of Biblical Literature
Old Testament Abstracts	Biblical Studies - Old Testament	Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
Catholic periodical and literature index	Systematic Theology Biblical Studies Church History	Modern Theology Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Historical Review
Religion and Philosophy Collection	Biblical Studies Philosophy Systematic Theology	Novum Testamentum Nous Journal of Empirical Theology
Religious and theological abstracts	Ministry Studies Biblical Studies Systematic Theology	Homiletic and Pastoral Review Interpretation Harvard Theological Review

ATLA Religion is the oldest and most comprehensive continuous theological database in existence. But it doesn't index all scholarly journals in Biblical studies and religion. Nor does it provide perpetual coverage of all journals it has once picked up.

So it is good to search a range of subject related databases to ensure that you are picking up everything relevant for your research. The table above lists the top databases for Biblical Studies and Religion.

Scholarly Journals

As a general rule, you should prefer scholarly journals over non-scholarly journals when you are searching for articles to support your research.

Scholarly journals use a vetting process known as "peer review" to ensure that what is published meets scholarly standards.

There are a number of features distinguishing scholarly journals from other types of serial publication. For a convenient summary, please consult the table in the following link: Difference Between Popular, Trade and Scholarly Journals.

Biblical Studies Research

Best Databases for Biblical Studies

Scholarly Journals

University Libraries