Religious and Theological Abstracts

Academic Abstracting and Indexing Servicesrtabstracts.org

Religious and Theological Abstracts is a private non-profit operating a searchable web-based database of objective English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in Religion and Theology, covering Christian, Jewish, and World Religions literature for academic researchers and institutional libraries.

Company typePrivate
Founded1958
HeadquartersMyerstown, United States
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2B
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Religious and Theological Abstracts does

Religious and Theological Abstracts (RTA) is a private non-profit organization founded in 1958 (per company history; firmographic data lists 1964) and headquartered in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. RTA operates a web-based searchable database that provides objective English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in Religion and Theology. Coverage spans Christian, Jewish, and other World Religions, with source articles originally published in English, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and major European languages. The platform is accessible at rtabstracts.org and supports both basic keyword search and an advanced search interface that includes structured fields for article author, title, journal name, year range, and scripture citations (Bible book, chapter, and verse).

The core product is a single unified abstract database, supplemented by a Journal Submission Service that allows periodical publishers to submit electronic issues for inclusion. Non-logged-in visitors are limited to five search results, creating a soft paywall; full access is controlled via individual user login or institutional IP-based authentication. No pricing information is publicly disclosed, indicating a subscription model sold primarily to academic and religious libraries at universities, seminaries, and related institutions. Distribution is single-channel: the self-serve web portal.

The organization has had only three editors across its 67-year history — J. Creighton Christman (1958–1990), William Sailer (1991–2015), and the current editor Gene L. Stevenson (2015–present) — supported by two associate editors, David C. Greulich and Harold P. Scanlin. No funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, or capital-raising activity are disclosed in the source data, and no parent company, venture capital, or private equity involvement is identified. The organization is governed as an independent non-profit with revenue mechanics consistent with institutional subscriptions to a niche scholarly database; the headcount band of 51–100 employees reflects the editorial staff required to maintain the abstracting pipeline.

Religious and Theological Abstracts firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Religious and Theological Abstracts
Legal name: Religious and Theological Abstracts
Website: https://rtabstracts.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1958
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: Religious and Theological Abstracts is a private non-profit operating a searchable web-based database of objective English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in Religion and Theology, covering Christian, Jewish, and World Religions literature for academic researchers and institutional libraries.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Religious and Theological Abstracts industry classification

Industry

Product category: Academic Abstracting and Indexing Services
NAICS: Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Periodical Publishers (513120)
SIC: Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
akta.pro primary industry: Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL)
akta.pro secondary industries: Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)

Keywords

Religious studies abstracts
Theology journal database
Academic abstracting service
Scholarly literature indexing
Interfaith periodical abstracts

Where Religious and Theological Abstracts is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Myerstown
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Markets served

Religious and Theological Abstracts business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Religious and Theological Abstracts product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Religious and Theological Abstracts (RTA) curates and publishes a searchable database of objective English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in the fields of Religion and Theology. The service covers periodical literature across Christian, Jewish, and other World religions, drawing source material from articles published in English, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and major European languages. Access is delivered through a web-based search platform (with basic and advanced search capabilities) gated by user login or institutional IP-based authentication.

Product overview

Religious and Theological Abstracts operates as a single unified database service providing searchable English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in the fields of Religion and Theology. The core offering consists of the Religious and Theological Abstracts Database, supplemented by a Journal Submission Service for publishers and an Abstract Search Platform with both basic and advanced search capabilities. The service covers periodical literature across Christian, Jewish, and other World religions, with abstracts drawn from multiple language sources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Religious and Theological Abstracts Database A searchable database providing objective English-language abstracts of scholarly journal articles in Religion and Theology, covering Christian, Jewish, and other World religions, with articles available in English, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and major European languages.
Journal Submission Service A service allowing journals to submit electronic copies of their issues for consideration to be included in the Religious and Theological Abstracts database.
Abstract Search Platform A web-based search platform enabling users to search abstracts by article author, title, journal name, year, and scripture citations with both basic and advanced search capabilities.

Companies that use Religious and Theological Abstracts

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Religious and Theological Abstracts technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Religious and Theological Abstracts partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Religious and Theological Abstracts competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

ProQuest (Clarivate): ProQuest aggregates scholarly content and provides discovery services to academic and religious libraries, serving the same institutional buyers as RTA across a much broader content portfolio.
EBSCO Information Services: EBSCO aggregates and distributes academic databases (including theological content) to libraries; it is both a competitor (Religion Database via ATLA partnership) and a distribution channel that affects RTA's institutional access model.
Scopus (Elsevier): Scopus is a broad multidisciplinary abstract and citation database covering religion and theology journals; serves the same institutional research buyers as RTA at much larger scale.
JSTOR: JSTOR is a broad academic archive and discovery platform that includes substantial religion and theology journal content; it overlaps with RTA on the same institutional buyers but operates at much larger scale across all disciplines.

Direct peers

New Testament Abstracts (Boston College): New Testament Abstracts is a long-running scholarly abstracting service specifically for New Testament studies; it is a direct format peer (abstract journal in religion/theology) covering an adjacent sub-discipline.
Old Testament Abstracts (Catholic Biblical Association): Old Testament Abstracts is a parallel abstracting service from the Catholic Biblical Association covering Old Testament / Hebrew Bible scholarship; same format and adjacent subject coverage.
Index Theologicus: Index Theologicus is a German-language international theology bibliography indexing journal articles and books in theology and religious studies; directly comparable abstracting/indexing service for the same scholarly audience.
ATLA (American Theological Library Association): ATLA produces the Religion Database, the most direct competitor - an abstracting and indexing service for religion and theology journals, with broader coverage and stronger library-system integration than RTA.

Emerging players

Project MUSE: Project MUSE distributes humanities and social science journals including theology and religious studies titles; it provides discovery and access for scholarly content that overlaps with RTA's covered journal set.

Regional players

Elibrary Ministry (Russian Academy of Sciences): eLibrary.ru is a major Russian-language academic database with theological and religious studies content; comparable abstracting/indexing service for a distinct language market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Religious and Theological Abstracts financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Religious and Theological Abstracts leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Religious and Theological Abstracts funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Religious and Theological Abstracts M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Religious and Theological Abstracts

What does Religious and Theological Abstracts do?

Is Religious and Theological Abstracts a public or private company?

Religious and Theological Abstracts is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Religious and Theological Abstracts founded?

Religious and Theological Abstracts was founded in 1958. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Religious and Theological Abstracts based?

Religious and Theological Abstracts is headquartered in Myerstown, United States, in the North America region.

Who are Religious and Theological Abstracts's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are ProQuest (Clarivate), EBSCO Information Services, Scopus (Elsevier) and JSTOR. Direct peers are New Testament Abstracts (Boston College), Old Testament Abstracts (Catholic Biblical Association), Index Theologicus and ATLA (American Theological Library Association). Project MUSE is listed as an emerging player. Elibrary Ministry (Russian Academy of Sciences) is listed as a regional player.

Does Religious and Theological Abstracts have an API?

No public API is recorded for Religious and Theological Abstracts.

What industry is Religious and Theological Abstracts in?

Religious and Theological Abstracts's product category is Academic Abstracting and Indexing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAHAL, Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons), with a secondary code of MPAJAHAC, Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides). Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 2741.