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. |