Scope

This Research Guide focuses on religious cults which are regarded as unorthodox or spurious. It also considers the processes involved in conversion to cults and problems experienced in leaving a cult.

Overview

Cults: A Reference Handbook
College Library Reference Collection: BL 2525 L486 2005

Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements
College Library Reference Collection: BL 98 E53 2006

Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion
College Library Reference Collection: BL 458 E53 1999

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

aum shinrikyo
branch davidians
heaven's gate
names of specific organizations (eg. people's temple)
brainwashing
cults
cultism
cults and children
sects

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

More Databases:

Education Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 400 scholarly and trade periodicals and selected monographs in education, educational psychology, college life, teacher education and evaluation. Basic instructions for Education Full Text

GenderWatch 1980 - to date (updated quarterly)
A women's and gender issues database with full-text coverage of most journals. Basic instructions for GenderWatch

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe

PsycINFO 1872 - to date (updated weekly)
Indexes 1,300 scholarly journals along with books and book chapters in psychology, educational psychology, and behavioral sciences. Basic instructions for PsycINFO

Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on Cults can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

cults
sects
(names of cults or individuals) e.g. david koresh

Internet Sites

Google's Web Directory: Cults
http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Opposing_Views/Cults/

Doomsday, Destructive Religious Cults
http://www.religioustolerance.org/destruct.htm
Provides an overview of religiously based, controlling cult groups.

Cults and Groups of Concern
http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups
A listing of cults with a description of each group and links to the group Web site.

Cult Group Controversies
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/cultsect/cultsect.htm
Hosted by the University of Virginia, this Web page gives an introduction to the cult movement, Internet links, and introduces research done in the field.

Videos

Iawo: Initiation in a Gege-Nago Temple
College Library Main Collection: F 2659 N4 I28 1980

Organizations

IFCA - International Cultic Studies Association
http://www.csj.org
Email: research@csj.org
Provides information about cults and psychological manipulation.

Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR)
http://www.cesnur.org
Institute for the Study of American Religion
Santa Barbara, California 90709
E-mail: jgordon@linkline.com
http://www.cesnur.org

FACTNet, Inc.
http://www.factnet.org
PO Box 3135
Boulder, CO 80307-3135
http://www.factnet.org
A non-profit news source, referral service, and archive.

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
http://www.religioustolerance.org/welcome.htm#new
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/welcome.htm#new)
Describes positive and negative aspects of dozens of faith groups, including new religious movements and dangerous cults.

Resource Center for Freedom of Mind
http://www.freedomofmind.com
PO Box 45223
Somerville, MA 02145
http://www.freedomofmind.com