Research ToolsFAQ for Atla Research Tools
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FAQ for Atla Research Tools

Accessing Our Research Tools

For Members

Using Our Research Tools

For Librarians

For Alumni

For Students & Researchers

For Publishers

How Can I Help?

 

 

Accessing Our Research Tools

What if I am a student trying to get access to the databases?

If you are a current student or researcher, you will not be able to gain access to our subscription databases, Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®), AtlaSerials® (Atlas®), and AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®) through our website. You will need to contact your institution’s library. Please note: membership does not include subscriptions or access to our subscription products.

If you are an alumni/ae, your institution may subscribe to our Alum products. View a list of participating schools to see if your library is one of them.

We do provide free resources for research, such as Atla LibGuides, Atla Digital Library, and Research in Ministry® (RIM®).

If I am a member, do I automatically have access to the databases?

No, being a member of Atla’s professional association provides you with a wide range of membership benefits, but not access to a subscription to our databases. Learn more about Member Benefits here.

Is Atlas PLUS offered for sites in developing countries and for alumni?

Yes, Atlas PLUS subscriptions are available for alumni programs and sites in developing countries. Please contact your EBSCO representative.

What is the license and economic model for Atla’s full-text products? Are Atlas and Atlas PLUS available for purchase as perpetual access?

Atla full-text products, Atlas and Atlas PLUS, contain licensed publisher-provided content, but Atla does not own the intellectual property rights for this content. No title or ownership passes to subscribing institutions, because Atla and our database aggregator only license databases for use by their customers. We also strongly believe in promoting the purchase of publisher journal subscriptions, which we view to be complementary resources to database subscriptions. For these reasons, Atlas and Atlas PLUS are not available for purchase as perpetual access.

What is Atla’s position on discovery services?

At the present time, selected Atla products are part of discovery service offerings as detailed for specific products below. For the following products, see https://www.ebsco.com/open-collaboration-policy  As part of these efforts metadata from the Atla EBSCO Historical Archives products listed below may appear in other discovery services via cooperation from EBSCO and Atla.

  • African American Historical Serials Collection
  • Atla Historical Monographs Collections
    • Series 1 (13th Century to 1893)
    • Series 2 (1894 to 1922)
    • Thematic Sub-Series
      • Biblical Research Perspectives, 1516-1922
      • Catholic Engagements with the Modern World, 1487-1918
      • Christian Preaching, Worship, and Piety, 1559-1919
      • Global Religious Traditions, 1760-1922
      • Global Theological Perspectives, 1322-1922
      • Islam in the Modern World, 1804-1918
      • Jewish Studies Perspectives, 1800-1918
      • Missions and Missionaries Around the World, 1611-1922
      • Perspectives on Ancient Civilizations, 1200-1922
      • Religion and Social Change, 1723-1921
      • Religious Leaders and Thinkers, 1516-1922

For the following products, current institutional subscribers to Atla products via the EBSCOhost research interface who also subscribe to EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS), can search Atla content through EDS. Atla’s proprietary subscription database metadata content is not available via any other arrangement at this time. However, Atla provides title lists for full text products to other discovery vendors for linking purposes.

  • Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®)
  • AtlaSerials® (Atlas®)
  • AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®)
  • Old Testament Abstracts (OTA)
  • New Testament Abstracts (NTA)​​

Why am I finding discrepancies between my print copies and what is indexed in Atla research tools?

Occasionally, our publisher license agreements do not include items, such as articles or artwork in a journal, that were individually copyrighted by the author or artist. It may also be the case that the missing material is one of the following: a short book review, brief news snippet, editorial, letter to the editor, contributor blurb page, or book notes. It is not typically our policy to index this kind of material.

For Members

Do Atla members have access to Atla products and partner products?

Membership in Atla’s professional association does not include access to Atla’s products. Institutional members of Atla must subscribe to Atla products and partner products the same as any other institution. Individual, Student, and Retired members must access Atla products and partner products through a subscribing library. Do not apply for membership in Atla if you are seeking access to Atla’s products or partner products. If you have specific questions, contact us for additional guidance.

Using Our Research Tools

What kind of content do you include in your research tools?

Peer-reviewed academic journals, reviews, ceased titles, and essay collections. Learn more about these ongoing initiatives on our blog.

What is the difference between Atlas and Atlas PLUS?

Atlas PLUS is a full-text collection that includes more than 670+ journals in many diverse areas of religion and theology, with content in more than 31 languages from more than 48 different countries.

Atlas PLUS contains all of the 400+ full-text Atlas journals and by purchasing an upgrade to Atlas PLUS from Atlas, sites will gain access to more than 270 additional full-text titles.

Who creates the Atla Religion Database index records?

Atla employs a professional staff of Subject Matter Experts who create rich bibliographic records including relevant subject headings for titles indexed in Atla products. Our Subject Matter Experts all have advanced degrees across a range of disciplines in religious studies and theology and work in close to forty languages from Afrikaans to Ugaritic. These experts remain extremely active in their chosen fields by participating in scholarly conferences, developing and teaching courses, and writing, presenting, and publishing original scholarship. ​

Do you include open access content in your research tools databases?

Yes, we do. When it comes to Atla’s research tools, our goal is to create a robust and diverse content collection for our users, ensuring ease of content discoverability and information access. By expanding our content acquisition to include more open access sources, our goal is to expand service delivery throughout the global academic community. Learn more on our blog.

What are Atla’s plans for the long-term preservation of content in Atla’s full-text products?

Some of the preservation work Atla staff members perform for full-text products includes:

  • Creating high-resolution tiff files according to accepted archival guidelines, which can be migrated to other formats if needed.
  • Creating and ensuring the integrity of multiple redundant backups of digital files.

Learn more about this ongoing initiative on our blog.

Do you have content in languages other than English?

Because of the skills and training of our in-house team of metadata analysts and editors, we have capabilities in over 40 languages. As of May 2020, we have indexed content from over 75 countries and full-text content from over 35 countries. Explore our title lists.

Do journals ever drop out of Atla’s full-text products?

Atla has a very successful rate of retaining journals in its full-text products. When journals change ownership, or other circumstances require a license to be re-negotiated, Atla works with publishers to secure their continued participation. If a journal withdraws from a full-text collection, Atla can no longer add new full-text, but, in the case of most titles, retains the right to continue providing content already posted to the database.​

How is material selected for inclusion in Atlas PLUS?

View information on the evaluation process for titles to be included in Atlas and Atlas PLUS.

How is material selected for inclusion in Atlas?

View information on the evaluation process for titles to be included in Atlas and Atlas PLUS.

How is material selected for inclusion in Atla Religion Database?

View information on the evaluation process for titles to be included in Atla Religion Database.

Is Atla CPLI offered as a product?

​No, Atla merged the Atla Catholic Periodical and Literature Index® (Atla CPLI®) into the Atla Religion Database in 2018. Once a stand-alone Catholic specific product, it is now part of the full Atla Religion Database. Atla CPLI is no longer offered as a stand-alone product.​

What are the details of Old Testament Abstracts Online compared to content posted on Project Muse?

See the detailed FAQ on the Catholic Biblical Association of America website.

How can I verify embargo periods and Atla coverage dates?

Please check the title lists detailed on our website in the column entitled ‘FT_Coverage_Note’ to confirm embargo periods, when coverage begins, as well as any known missing issues. You can also check a journal title’s Publications record on EBSCOhost.

Does Atla sell microform products, including microfilm and microfiche?

Atla does not sell or distribute microfilm or microfiche products.

For Librarians

How can I make sure our library website indicates the most updated facts/figures about the Atla Research Tools?

Atla updates its facts/figures on a regular basis. We invite libraries to update their website descriptions, LibGuides, and other related resources to reference these updated facts and figures by visiting the product descriptions on the Atla site, as well as on all EBSCOhost login pages. Also, we encourage you to view and use the Atla Toolkit. This includes how to reference the product names, logos, and customizable marketing tools for you to use on your website and in your promotions. For the latest numbers, please visit our blog.

How do I update permalinks in LibGuides and syllabi now that we’ve upgraded to Atla Religion Database with Atlas PLUS?

You will need to update any URLs that link to a specific database since each link points to a specific database shortcode and the new databases have different shortcodes. Find shortcodes for all EBSCO databases, including Atla research tools. You may be able to use a “find and replace” function in your documents to making updating your URLs easier and faster. For example, find “db=rfh” and replace with “db=isdar”. Examples of permalinks:

  • Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®) with AtlaSerials® (Atlas®)

​​​http://0-search-ebscohost-com.librarycatalog.vts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&jid=ATLA0000023452&site=ehost-live

  • Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®)​

​​​http://0-search-ebscohost-com.librarycatalog.vts.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&jid=ATLA0000023452&site=ehost-live

If your URL points to a profile or group, and that’s how a user accesses the database, then you will not need to update your URLs; nothing about the profile or database shortcode will be changing. If you have further questions, please contact EBSCO Product Support by calling 1-800-758-5995 or by completing the EBSCO online email form.

For Alumni

What if I am an alumnus/na trying to get access to the databases?

If you are an alumnus/na, your institution may subscribe to our Alum products. View a list of participating schools to see if your library is one of them.

We do provide free resources for research, such as Atla LibGuides, Atla Digital Library, and Research in Ministry® (RIM®).

#alumversion

Why do my alums see a version of Atla research tools that is different than what is offered at my library?

Your institution may have chosen to offer different research tools from the Atla on EBSCOhost, making the alum user experience different than the library version. For example, your library might subscribe to Atla Religion Database (index) with Atlas (full-text), but they may only offer alums access to Atlas (full-text). For more information on your institution’s current subscriptions, please fill out this form.

For Students & Researchers

What if I am a student trying to get access to the databases?

If you are a current student or researcher, you will not be able to gain access to our subscription databases (Atla Religion Database, Atlas, and Atlas PLUS) via our website. You will need to contact your institution’s library. Please note, membership does not include subscriptions or access to our subscription products.

We also provide free resources for research, such as Atla LibGuides, Atla Digital Library, and Research in Ministry® (RIM®).

For Publishers

How do I get my journal (or other content) included in your research tools?

Atla accepts peer-reviewed academic journals, reviews, ceased titles, and essay collections. For more information on how to start the conversation, please visit our For Publishers page.

How Can I Help?

What if I have a correction to submit?

Please complete the Atla Product Data Correction Form.  

How can I suggest content for submission?

If you have content (e.g., peer-reviewed academic journals, reviews, ceased titles, essay collections) that you would like to recommend for inclusion in our research tools, get in touch with us. 

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