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How to do Scripture Research in the ATLA Database: Catholic Periodical & Literature Index

This guide offers strategies for finding information on particular Bible passages in APU databases.This guide was originally created by Michelle Spomer.

Database Information

Four of the EBSCOhost databases (ATLA Religion, New Testament Abstracts, Old Testament Abstracts, and Catholic Periodical & Literature Index) offer a unique searchable field called either 'Scripture Citation' or 'Scripture Reference.' This allows the researcher to find items in the database that are relevant to particular scripture passages. When this search is used, the items retrieved will generally be quite academic and will focus on analysis of particular passages.

Catholic Periodical & Literature Index is the product of a partnership between ATLA and the Catholic Library Association. The database covers all aspects of the Catholic faith and lifestyle, and includes over 436,000 index citations of articles and reviews published in Roman Catholic periodicals, Papal documents, church promulgations, and books about the Catholic faith that are authored by Catholics and/or produced by Catholic publishers.

All APU Databases can be accessed via the APU Libraries website by clicking on "All Databases." 

 

Scripture Research Instructions

The following instructions will aid you in finding articles that explore particular Bible passages. If you'd like to find articles on particular topics or terms in specific books in the Bible, follow the instructions for Search #2 in the ATLA Religion Database page.

  • Access the database by clicking on the 'Catholic Periodical & Literature Index' link in the box above.
  • Click on the 'Indexes' link near the top of the page.

  • Select 'Scripture Citation' from the 'Browse an Index' drop-down menu.
  • In the 'Browse' for box, type in the book name and chapter of the scripture passage you’re studying. If there is more than one book, type in the name of the book followed by a comma and '1st, '2nd,' or '3rd' (i.e. for I Corinthians, simply type in 'Corinthians, 1st').

  • Click the 'Browse' button.
  • In the resulting list, put a check mark next to all relevant items. Be sure to choose all passages that contain your passage, and not just the exact verse alone.
  • Click the 'Add' button. You'll see your selections in the search box near the top of the page.

NOTE: Be sure to click 'Add' for each page before moving on to the next page of results (by clicking the 'Next' link).

  • Once you’ve added all your scripture passages to the search box, go ahead and click the 'Search' button to see your list of results. All of the items in your results list will have something to do with one or more of the scripture passages you selected.
     
    NOTE: If the chapter number is a single digit (e.g. Acts 2), follow the steps above and add the passages that are relevant. Before clicking on 'Search,' add a colon to your search (e.g. Acts 2:) and click 'Browse' again. Go through the entire list of passages for the chapter and add the ones that are relevant. Then click the 'Search' button for the results.