Philosophy and Religion 387:  Religion and Science (Dr. Jennifer Jesse)
Library Resources Web Page


Librarian:  Lisa M. Glaubitz
Office:  Reference Office 107D, Pickler Memorial Library
Phone:  785-7412

e-mail:  glaubitz@truman.edu

 


 

Reference Works and General Collection      

Searching the Library Catalog

        Finding Journal Articles           

On the Web

Citation Style Manuals and Writing Guides

 


 

 I.  Reference Works (listed in call number order)

     Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion
 
          Reference B41 .R43  1980

      Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
             Reference B 51 .C58   2000

     Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions
            Reference BL 31 .D53  1994
    
    
Encyclopedia of Religion   (New title)
            Reference BL 31 .E46  2005 , 15 vols.

      Dictionary of Religious Terms
            Reference  BL 31 .K34

    The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
             Reference  BL 31 .O84  1997

     Encyclopedia of Science and Religion (New title)
              Reference BL 240.3 .E43  2003 (2 vols.)

     The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition
             Reference BL 245 .H57  2000

     Encyclopedia of American Religious History
              Reference   BL 2525 .Q44  1996 (2 vols.)

      Dictionary of Concepts in the Philosophy of Science
               Reference  Q 174.7 .D87  1988


     


 II. General Collection (alphabetical order by author)      

        Works Concerning the Philosophy of Science and the Philosophy of Religion

          Curd, Martin, and J.A. Cover, eds. Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues
                Q 175 .P5129  1998

           Godfrey-Smith, Peter.  Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (New title)
                Q 175 .G596  2003


          Machamer, Peter and Michael Silberstein, eds.  The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Science (New title)
                 Q 175 .B56  2002

           Ratzsch, Delvin Lee. Philosophy of Science:  The Natural Sciences in Christian Perspective
                BL 240.2 .R34  1986

           Salmon, Merrilee H. et al.  Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
               
 Q 175 .I633  1999

           Stewart, David.  Exploring the Philosophy of Religion
                BL 51 .E96  1998

            Yandell, Keith E.  Philosophy of Religion:  A Contemporary Introduction
                BL 51 .Y275  1999

 


        Religion and Science--History

   
 Dillenberger, John.  Protestant Thought and Natural Science:  A Historical Interpretation
                        BL 240.2 .D5  1960

      Science and Religion:  Some Historical Perspectives

                         BL 245. .B77  1991

    Livingstone, David N., D.G. Hart, and Mark A. Noll. Evangelicals and Science in Historical Perspective
                        BL 245 .E93  1999

          


 III. Searching the Library Catalog

The above is just a sampling of our library's collection in these topics. 
Here  are a few searching tips for locating books in Pickler Library:

Searching by Keyword
       
We almost always begin a search on a new topic with a keyword search.   This applies to all electronic databases (catalogs, journal indexes and web search engines).  There are a few tips you want to keep in mind:

Use AND to combine different or distinct concepts and to  narrow your results: 

                creationism AND evolution
   
             religion AND science AND history
                creationism AND evolution AND evidence
                judeo-christian AND natural science*
                catholicism AND biotechnology

         Use OR to combine concepts that are somewhat similar in meaning if you need to broaden your search:

               
conflict OR dissonance
                scripture OR bible
                sacred OR spiritual

        You can tailor your search by using AND and OR together in a "nested" search:
                 
                 science AND (Christianity OR Christian theology)
                 science AND (miracles OR God )

                 reason AND (belief OR faith)


        More search tips. . .

  Keyword search for "natural sciences"   produces 162 results
   versus
  Keyword search for natural sciences  produces 389 results
 


Searching by Subject Heading:
 

        Keyword searching is a handy and easy way to begin searching in a catalog or database, as you can simply use terms you are familiar with or that you
        have learned in your course.  However, finding relevant subject headings  may facilitate a more focused search and also help eliminate
        "irrelevant" items that are sometimes retrieved by keyword searches.   The example below demonstrates how important searching by subject can be:

    Example:

        In the library catalog,  we do this keyword search: creation AND debates.  We retrieve 15 results.

        Notice that our results are ranked from "Most relevant"  (record number 1)  to "highly relevant" (record number 2) to "very relevant (records 3-15).  Record number 1 does look relevant (Creation-Evolution Debates). However, record number 2 ("highly relevant") and  record number 4  ("very relevant") do not deal with creation and debates within the disciplines we are interested in.  The first deals with the federal judiciary and the other with the creation of the Constitution!  They were considered "highly relevant" simply because the terms we used showed up in the title of the second item and the summary of the fourth item.  Indeed, there are not many relevant books based on our keyword search. In this case, where the keyword search retrieves many irrelevant items, focus on those that are most useful and examine its subject headings.

            The record below is for number one, which appeared to be quite relevant to our topic:

                               

Title Creation-evolution debates / edited with introductions by Ronald L. Numbers.
Published New York : Garland Pub., 1995.

 
LOCATION CALL # STATUS
  TRUMAN General Collection  BS651 .C6924 1995          AVAILABLE

 
  Series Introduction  
  Volume Introduction  
  "God and Evolution" / William Jennings Bryan 1
  "Evolution and Religion" / Henry Fairfield Osborn 9
  "Bryan and Evolution" / Edwin Grant Conklin 15
  Evolution Versus Creation / John Roach Straton, Charles Francis Potter 21
  Is Evolution True? / George McCready Price, Joseph McCabe 133
   
 
Description xiv, 505 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Series Creationism in twentieth-century America ; v. 2.
Subjects Creationism.
  Bible and evolution.
  Evolution -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
  Evolution (Biology) -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.
   
 
   


       One of the subject headings listed for this book is  Evolution--Religious Aspects--Christianity   When can click on this subject link to see what items the library has under this specific heading.  We will discover that while here are only fourteen items, we can be assured that they have some relevancy to our basic topic of creation and debates.  Also, once you click on a subject heading, you will see other headings (broader and narrower) listed on the screen.  There may be others that you notice that might work even better for your topic. 

    Again, remember that subject searching can be very important in locating the most relevant materials for your topic.
                   
                               
    Subject headings that may have relevance to this course:

                                   religion and science
                                   religion and science--history
                                  natural theology
                                  bible and science
                                 bible and evolution
                                 faith and reason--christianity
                                 science--philosophy
                                 religion--philosophy

 

Don't forget MOBIUS for finding books that our library does not have, as well as Interlibrary Loan for journal articles not available here.  If you need assistance in using any of these services, please come by the Reference Desk, first floor, or call the Reference Desk at 785-4051.

                                                       


     IV. Finding Journal Articles

There are several journal indexes that will be useful for finding scholarly articles in the area of religion and science, philosophy of science, etc.   You can get to these from the library's home page under " Articles/Databases."  You can access these from any of the computers on campus (in the library or elsewhere), or from off campus, by connecting through the VPN network, Proxy server or dial-up system.  Click here for instructions on setting up your computer for remote access.

Most relevant databases for article citations and abstracts are:

ATLA Religion

Philosopher's Index
    (This database allows for one user at a time, so you might have to try at a later time if it is "busy.")

Humanities Abstracts

For some of the citations that you retrieve in the above databases, a link to the full-text may be available (to JSTOR, Ingenta, or other full text providers).

JSTOR
This is a collection of full text journals and includes many in the areas of philosophy, religion, and science.  To better focus your search in one or several of these areas, click on the "Advanced Search" link and then scroll down to the list of disciplines.  Simply select the discipline(s) in which you want to perform your search. 

In all of these databases, you can apply the basic search techniques as you do for searching the library catalog (using AND, OR and nesting). Truncation symbols may differ.


Other useful databases may include:

Historical Abstracts

America: History and Life

   

    sample entry from Historical Abstracts:

Title:
EVOLUTION AND THE EUCHARIST: BISHOP E. W. BARNES ON SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN THE 1920S AND 1930S.
Authors:
Bowler, Peter J.
Source:
British Journal for the History of Science 1998 31(4): 453-467 15p.
Historical Period:
1920's
Subjects:
Great Britain
Evolutionary Theory
Church of England
Barnes, Ernest William
Abstract:
Many British clergy of the early 20th century sought to make their faith compatible with modern science in general and the theory of evolution in particular. Most adopted a linear, teleological view of evolution that aligned them with older, conservative scientists but left them increasingly out of touch with the mechanistic views of evolution formulated in the 1920's and 1930's. Ernest William Barnes, appointed bishop of Birmingham in 1924, was a notable exception to this pattern. Barnes worked to keep abreast of current scientific views on evolution and recognized the extent to which any theory of evolution that included humans required a wholesale rethinking of Christian doctrines such as the Fall of Man. Barnes's attempts to create a Christianity fully compatible with modern science paralleled his attempts to purge Anglican services of what he saw as quasi-magical rituals and doctrines held over from the Catholic past. [A. B. Van Riper]
Notes:
Based on Barnes's published works and on material from the Barnes Papers, Birmingham University Library; 62 notes.
Publication Type:
Academic Journal
Document Type:
Article
Language:
English
ISSN:
0007-0874
Entry Number:
51B:8807
Accession Number:
H001605640.01
Persistent link to this record:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hia&AN=H001605640.01&site=ehost-live
Database:
Historical Abstracts
View Links:
Search Truman State U Library         Search for Full Text Holdings in Truman Journal Finder   Request this item through interlibrary loan  

 


 
 Both ATLA Religion and Humanities Abstracts allow you to limit your search to items held by our library.  
 


 

V.  On the Web 

The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
Dedicated to research, teaching, and public service, the mission of the CTNS is to "promote the creative mutual interaction between theology and the natural sciences." (CTNS mission statement, CTNS home page: http://www.ctns.org/index.html). Click on "Academics" and then "Publications" to find research topics and CTNS publications.

The Global Spiral--A Publication of Metanexus Institute
Publishes articles and essays which explore "humanity's most profound questions and challenges" (The Global Spiral  home page: http://www.metanexus.net/magazine/) The publication also includes book reviews. 

Access the Metanexus Institute home page here.

Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science
This web site provides access to some online issues of this journal.  Pickler also subscribes to this journal in print.  Bound volumes for 1966-2006 are on the Periodical Bound Shelves (shelved by call number: BL 240.2 .Z9) and current issues are located in Current Periodicals shelved under the journal title.
 


 

     VI. Citation Style Manuals and Writing Guides

            Your professor may specify a citation style to use for listing your sources in your bibliography.  Below are several style manuals available in the library:

Chicago/Turabian Style

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations 
    General Collection LB 2369 .T8 1996
     Reference  LB 2369 .T8 1996

APA Style

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
    General Collection   BF 76.7 .P83 2001
    Reserve  BF 76.7 .P83 2001
    Reference  BF 76.7 .P83 2001

MLA Style

          MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
                General Collection  LB 2396 .G53 2003
                Reserve  LB 2369 .G53
                Reference  LB 2369 .G53 2003

For additional style guides and information on citing Web sites and other electronic sources, click here.


The following are several writing guides you may wish to consult as you construct drafts of your paper:
 
                  Slade, Carole.  Form and Style:  Research Papers, Reports, Theses
                      General Collection  LB 2369 .C3  2003
                       Reference Collection  LB 2369 .C3  2003


                  Veit, Richard.  Research: The Student's Guide to Writing Research Papers
                            General Collection  LB 2369 .V43  2004 

                   Walker, Melissa.  Writing Research Papers:  A Norton Guide
                            General Collection  LB 2369 .W25  1984

Some parts of this research guide may still be undergoing revision over the next few weeks.  Thank you for your patience!
(Jan. 7, 2008)

 


  Back to top of page