Źródła elektroniczne w pracy teologa systematyka

Abstract

The practice of science has been revolutionised by the technical progress related to the popularisation of the electronic form of publication and the development of the global Internet network, which has shaped the new status of communication. The way research is conducted and its results disseminated in theology has changed as well. Systematic theology (here regarded as an area of studies in fundamental, dogmatic and moral theology) is a theological specialty which refers to multiple types of sources (the Bible, Church teaching, history of theology, the common Faith of the People of God, liturgy, etc.) as well as outcomes of research studies in other disciplines of science. Finally, it requires participation in the current theological discourse, hence the aforementioned changes facilitating access to source materials and current publications are of great signifi cance for theologians, provided that they acquire the ability to take advantage of modern technologies. Due to the large number of sources available on the Internet and the small scale of the study, it is only feasible to name them by grouping various ways of their publication. While this does not come close to exhausting their entire range, it is possible to characterise them approximately and assess their credibility in a preliminary manner. The review conducted shows that particular publications inherit their credibility from the entities which publish them, hence priority is given to scientifi c institutions and recognised publishers as well as new entities established already in the Internet space, provided that they pursue a clear scientifi c policy. Given the ever-increasing amount of information, it is also important for a scientist to be familiar with the world of databases, especially topical ones, both bibliographic and full-text. Moreover, the study notes that a signifi cant form of the theological thought development which has not yet been used to a great extent by the theological community is the scientifi c exchange on the Internet, either direct or mediated through specialised communication platforms.