HNRS 3050: Databases & Videos

The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) strives to democratize access to the best data on religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997 and going online in 1998, the initial archive was targeted at researchers interested in American religion. The targeted audience and the data collection have both greatly expanded since 1998, now including American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. Data included in the ARDA are submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world. Currently housed in the Social Science Research Institute, the College of Liberal Arts, and the Department of Sociology at the Pennsylvania State University, the ARDA is funded by the Lilly Endowment, the John Templeton Foundation, Chapman University, Pennsylvania State University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. ARDA includes extensive data on International religious comparisons of countries, US congregational membership, religious groups, interactive timelines, and maps.

Research in Ministry® (RIM®) is a free thesis and dissertation database where users can search over 15,000 dissertations for research conducted in graduate programs of study related to ministry, theology, and religion. Dissertations may or may not be available. We advise that you also explore the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database listed on this page.

The Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) is a library of over 25,959 theological thesis/dissertation titles representing research from as many as 153 different institutions. Titles may be ordered online through our search and order system.

TREN also makes available conference papers presented at annual meetings of several academic societies. You can obtain documents from TREN in two formats:

** Digital, downloadable e-docs
** Paper copies are available at 15 cents per page.

NOTE: This is a citation-only index. You must purchase to read. Shipping and handling is $6.75 per shipment in addition to the cost of the document.

The creation of the TLG came at the end of a long tradition of scholarly efforts to systematically collect and preserve extant Greek literature. Since its inception the project has collected and digitized most texts written in Greek from Homer (8 c. B.C.) to the fall of Byzantium in AD 1453 and beyond. Its goal is to create a comprehensive digital library of Greek literature from antiquity to the present era. TLG research activities combine the traditional methodologies of philological and literary study with the most advanced features of information technology.

**You will need to create a new account with TLG after logging in via the proxy server. Just go to the upper right hand corner to register. You will need to follow the instructions on the email they will send.

**Be sure to check their Help pages if you have difficulty or need usage suggestions.

The U.S. Religion Census was originally conducted by the U.S. government in five special reports from 1890 through 1936. In 1952, the National Council of Churches organized its own religion census, which was repeated in 1971 and 1980 with strong support from Glenmary Research Center.

Since 1990, this decadal census has been conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Coverage now includes many non-Christian groups as well as special counts for religious traditions that do not have central data collection points, such as non-denominational churches or Muslim and Jewish communities.