See the Introduction to the New EBSCOhost Tutorial for basic information on features now found in the user interface for the databases Atla Religion (as well as Old Testament Abstracts, New Testament Abstracts, and Academic Search Premier -- and many others provided via EBSCOhost). The tutorial is focused on the new features for working with the database interface such as accessing full-text, saving/emailing/downloading/exporting individual articles -- or multiple select results as formerly done using the Save to Folder feature. The Quick Start Guide provides EBSCO's how-to information for searching and browsing as well as for using the tools and management features.
Our "Basic Searching" versus EBSCO's "Basic Search" gives tips for our preference for a basic template for searching, searching by keyword(s) in combination with useful filters, working with your initial results including their assigned subject terms to craft more targeted searches, along with tips for managing your results. See the Advanced Searching in Atla Religion page on this guide for our basic templates for three kinds of advanced searches.
This Basic kind of search using the EBSCO Advanced Search screen interface is useful for topical searches. It can also be used either as a means or as an entry kind of search to find articles on Bible passages/verse(s). See our Advanced Searching in Atla Religion page in the tab above or linked here for strategic and targeted ways to search for articles with the help of assigned Subject or Scripture or Scripture Citation classifications, sometimes in combination with keywords. Those searches require a little more time and effort but can yield successful results.
1 - Go to the APU library website: https://apu.edu/library.
2 - Below the image, click on the tab Articles and Databases.
3 - In the drop-down Select Database by Subject menu in the search box, select and click Biblical Studies and hit the red search icon (magnifying glass image).
4 - In the list of databases or in the "Best Bets" box, choose ATLA Religion Database with ATLAS PLUS. Note: It is the main academic database for religion, containing the premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion. Online full text of articles is often included. (See Step 14 below.)
Similar databases in content include Old Testament Abstracts and New Testament Abstracts. Note: These databases' records are primarily citations and abstracts, without full text, but ofter links to any available full-text (in other databases here, open access or on publishers' websites) or to a form to request APU's ILL services to obtain it electronically for you. Multidiscipline databases such as JSTOR Full Collection and Academic Search Premier also provide relevant content for biblical studies, church history and religious thought and practice.
5 - If you have not yet logged in, you will be prompted to do so now.
6 - Enter two or three keywords in the search box(es), keeping the fields box to the right set to All fields. As you type, searches matching your terms appear below the search box and can be used as suggestions for search terms or to load into the search box and generate a search. Put the most important term first. If it is a phrase, enclose it in quotation marks, e.g., "Good Samaritan."
7 - Under Filters, below the search boxes, set the limiters to limit your results: Commonly employed limits are Peer Reviewed (for scholarly journals), Publication Year (where you can set the range) or Publication Date (choose from some preset options, say the last 10 years), Publication Type set to Article, Language set to the languages you read. Under Search Options, it is recommended to remove the preset Expanders. A new feature, also under Search Options, is Search Mode. The default is Proximity aka Boolean which is a standard mode. To learn more about other options, follow the link under Search Mode to EBSCO Connect. (Note: In my 1 -- only 1 -- test using 1 search term using the default Proximity mode and then enabling the Natural Language mode to compare, I got the same results. On a few additional tests, the number of results differed between these 2 search modes when using more search terms.
8 - Click on Search.
9 - From the list of results, read the titles to find the most appropriate one(s).
10 - Click on a title of a promising article to see the full display of the record. Look for the field labeled "Subjects."
11 - Read the Subject headings. They are detailed descriptions keyed to the content of the article in question. They also serve as hyperlinks to articles of similar content. Also see Step 12 and Advanced Searching for use of subject terms.
12 - Additional keywords or subject headings can be added or combined for more accurate or refined results.
13 - Choose the articles that are most appropriate according to the assigned Subject descriptors, the title of the article and sometime the title of the journal (to evaluate its orientation/audience or if you are limited to certain journals by your assignment).
14 - In the record for an article you've selected, use the Access options dropdown menu to access full-text options (choose the PDF option here for a PDF or other online options for the most direct access when available). Alternatively, use the Full Text Finder link under Access options or via the Full Text Finder box, when displayed, to discover any other available full text or to link to a form to place a request via APU's ILL services for a copy to be emailed to you.
15 - Links for individual articles can now be shared directly from the browser address (no more permalinks!) or by using Share under the Tools menu icon (3 vertical dots) in the top right of the initial brief display record for the article (along with the tools Cite and Download). Various options are displayed for sharing under Share and Email headings there as well as on the full display of the record. Click on the Email heading to email a PDF of the article. Save to Folder is no longer a feature to collect and manage multiple records/articles. Projects under My dashboard to the left of your results can be used to set up a project folder and then use Add to projects under the Tools menu icon (or you can also set up a Project folder in the process of using Add to projects). Explore the options for sharing, saving, and downloading articles using the Tools Menu icon's features and/or from the PDF of the article itself.
**When searching for articles in other databases for other subjects, look for similar functions and features and use similar steps and search strategies described here.
The research librarians are here to help.
