Getting context from background resources
Encyclopedias and other reference sources give you quick background on an unfamiliar topic. Learning the issues, questions, and people associated with a topic can help you decide which direction to take your research. You might also discover keywords that will help you when searching for articles and books.
- Credo Philosophy ResourcesSearch 32 encyclopedias and dictionaries on philosophy for background information, definitions, and more.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHighly regarded online encyclopedia with refereed articles by named authors.
- Oxford Reference Online: PhilosophySearch five academic encyclopedias from Oxford University Press.
Browsing library shelves for books
Browsing books in the library is a great way to get the big picture of the field and to help refine your topic. Philosophy books are located on the 2nd floor - North in Daley Library. Relevant call numbers for books on philosophy are listed below.
B Philosophy (General)
108-708 Ancient
720-765 Medieval
770-785 Renaissance
790-5739 Modern
850-5739 By Region or Country
BC Logic
BD Speculative Philosophy.
10-41 General Philosophical Works
95-131 Metaphysics
143-236 Epistemology, Theory of Knowledge
240-260 Methodology
300-450 Ontology
493-701 Cosmology
Searching for academic/scholarly articles
- Philosopher's IndexNow available through ProQuest, this current and comprehensive bibliographic database covers scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy.
- PhilPapers OnlineOnline index and archives of philosophical research. Optional free account provides personal reading lists, journal filters, content alerts, customized forum subscriptions, and more.
- JSTOR
Digitized back issues of scholarly journals with a rolling date of five years ago. Covers a wide variety of disciplines.
- Google ScholarPros: Familiar, flexible search language; "Cited by" feature
Con: Haphazard journal coverage
RefWorks
