LIBRARY: RELIGIOUS & THEOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS ONLINE
RELIGIOUS & THEOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS ONLINE
This database is available at: www.rtabstracts.org. The user name is the same as the authorization number for OCLC FirstSearch. The password is the same as that for OCLC FirstSearch. From main screen click on “sign into R&TA,” enter username and password, click on “login in,” and then on “click here” to begin search.
This online version of Religious and Theological Abstracts contains all the abstracts submitted since it began in 1958. It is updated quarterly. In 2008 articles from about 510 periodicals or annuals were included; approximately 35% of these are not indexed in the ATLA Religion database. Although many foreign language publications are included, all abstracts are in English. Abstracts in the print version were arranged under general topics under the following major headings: biblical, theological, historical, and practical. Since specific subject headings were not applied to the articles, searches are keyword searches of article titles and the abstracts.
Advanced search allows searches by author, title, date, periodical, and exact phrase (equivalent to enclosing a phrase in quotation marks in simple search). Searches from the simple search box and from the “with all the words” field in advanced search are executed in the same way. Terms are connected with an understood “and” and searches will retrieve records containing entries with all the words.
The Scripture search is not reliable from either search screen. It is best to search for Scripture in the “with the exact phrase” field from the Advanced Search screen. It will probably take 3 searches from this field to find material on the text in question.
1. Enter the Scripture without abbreviation, e.g., Genesis 3:16. Usually the books of the Bible are abbreviated in the abstracts and if the Scripture is not mentioned in the article title or if the title is in a foreign language, the Scripture search without abbreviation will miss many articles.
2. To locate articles abstracted after 1978 enter a search to retrieve all articles in which the text is mentioned in the abstract by entering the text with the book of the Bible abbreviated without the period, e.g., Gen 3:16. The practice of abbreviating without the period began in 1979. The books of the Bible are abbreviated according to The SBL Handbook of Style (73-74): Gen, Exod, Lev, Num, Deut, Josh, Judg, Ruth, 1-2 Sam, 1-2 Chr (or sometimes 1-2 Chron), Ezra, Neh, Esth, Job, Ps, Prov, Eccl, Cant (Song of Songs), Isa, Jer, Lam, Ezek, Dan, Hos, Joel, Amos, Obad, Jonah, Mic, Nah, Hab, Zeph, Hag, Zech, Mal, Matt, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Rom, 1-2 Cor, Gal, Eph, Phil, Col, 1-2 Thess, 1-2 Tim, Titus, Phlm, Heb, Jas, 1-2 Pet, 1-3 John, Jude, Rev.
3. To locate articles abstracted before 1979 enter search with books of the Bible abbreviated (according to the list in #2) with the period included, e.g. Gen. 3:16.
