Philosophy
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Note: The databases below allow you to search by topic for articles in thousands of newspapers, magazines, and journals. If you wish to see full-text availability for a particular publication, use the Journal Titles search on the Library home page. You can also use the following link to browse full-text journals in Philosophy.
Philosopher's Index :
Use this as a one-stop search to connect you to full-text journal literature in Philosophy scattered among dozens of IC databases.
Begin by setting appropriate Limits: "Document Type": Journal Article and "Language": English
For example, if you are looking for journal articles that you hope will be available full text, check the "articles only" box to weed out book citations. Likewise, if you read only English, check the "English only" box to eliminate the many articles in other languages.
A Keyword search (here called "Select a field") will look for matches to your search terms in the citation. Unlike Google, however, Keyword searching in a database requires an exact match. Add the "wildcard" symbol--* (an asterisk)-- to the end of a word's root to retrieve a range of endings: for example, Plato* will retrieve Plato, Plato's, Platonic, and Platonism. But keep in mind that different authors may use entirely different words and phrases to discuss the same topic and that your own vocabulary may differ from theirs.
For more consistent retrievals, try a Subjects search. Standardized Subject Headings allow you to retrieve articles regardless of different words and phrases used to discuss the same topic.
Begin by checking what Subjects are used by Philosopher's Index to describe your topic. Above the search slots you will find an Indexes link. Open this and choose Subjects to browse what terms match your topic. For example, you would discover here that articles on "physician assisted suicide" are assigned "Assisted Suicide" as a Subject Heading, and articles on "skepticism" are assigned a Subject with the variant spelling "Scepticism."
Once you have retrieved a set of relevant-looking articles, scan the Subjectss listed for citation. You may want to add or substitute these terms in future searches.
When you locate an article you want to look at, use the GETIT icon to check for links to any available full text in other IC database (for more info on GETIT, see below).
Use this as a one-stop search to connect you to full-text journal literature in Philosophy scattered among dozens of IC databases.
Begin by setting appropriate Limits: "Document Type": Journal Article and "Language": English
For example, if you are looking for journal articles that you hope will be available full text, check the "articles only" box to weed out book citations. Likewise, if you read only English, check the "English only" box to eliminate the many articles in other languages.
A Keyword search (here called "Select a field") will look for matches to your search terms in the citation. Unlike Google, however, Keyword searching in a database requires an exact match. Add the "wildcard" symbol--* (an asterisk)-- to the end of a word's root to retrieve a range of endings: for example, Plato* will retrieve Plato, Plato's, Platonic, and Platonism. But keep in mind that different authors may use entirely different words and phrases to discuss the same topic and that your own vocabulary may differ from theirs.
For more consistent retrievals, try a Subjects search. Standardized Subject Headings allow you to retrieve articles regardless of different words and phrases used to discuss the same topic.
Begin by checking what Subjects are used by Philosopher's Index to describe your topic. Above the search slots you will find an Indexes link. Open this and choose Subjects to browse what terms match your topic. For example, you would discover here that articles on "physician assisted suicide" are assigned "Assisted Suicide" as a Subject Heading, and articles on "skepticism" are assigned a Subject with the variant spelling "Scepticism."
Once you have retrieved a set of relevant-looking articles, scan the Subjectss listed for citation. You may want to add or substitute these terms in future searches.
When you locate an article you want to look at, use the GETIT icon to check for links to any available full text in other IC database (for more info on GETIT, see below).
General OneFile : is the most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
After finding the best Subject term, use the “Subdivisions” link below it for focus. These allow you to target articles on a particular aspect of the topic, including “Ethical Aspects,” “Political Aspects,” "Religious Aspects," and “Social Aspects.”
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing onlythe "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results.
After finding the best Subject term, use the “Subdivisions” link below it for focus. These allow you to target articles on a particular aspect of the topic, including “Ethical Aspects,” “Political Aspects,” "Religious Aspects," and “Social Aspects.”
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
ProQuest Research Library : is another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available. Subect searching can be a more efficient way to search than with only Keywords, since it guarantees that the articles retrieved actually be about the Subject--not just use a particular word. And for most Subjects you can always add "Ethics" as a second Subject Heading. If there is no adequate Subject Heading available, enter your topic in one of the Keyword slots at the top and in another enter--ethic* or moral* (the * is a truncation symbol: for example ethic* will retrieve ethic, ethics, ethical, and ethically).
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), "Document Feature" (including Photographs, Illustrations), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot; if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location."
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), "Document Feature" (including Photographs, Illustrations), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot; if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location."
Academic Search Premier Comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
A good initial strategy in this database is to search a likely topic in the Subject Terms and when you find it “explode” the term by double clicking it--this brings up a list of related Subject terms. You can check as many terms as you like before "adding" them to your search by AND-ing or OR-ing them together.
User Advisory: For any retrieved set of articles, there will be a box displayed on the left that will limit the articles to “Scholarly” journals—just check the box and click the “Update Results” button below.
User Advisory: For any retrieved set of articles, there will be a box displayed on the left that will limit the articles to “Scholarly” journals—just check the box and click the “Update Results” button below.
JSTOR : covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines, always beginning with the first issue of each one. This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th. Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 2-3 years after publication. But even for current topics like "human cloning" or "terrorism" you will find many articles here. And for certain perennial topics such as the death penalty or animal rights you can target articles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries--just set a “Date Range.” Also be aware that for 100% full text you must change the setting from "include links to external content" to "include only content I can access."
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tick the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Also note the "Date Range" limit, which in a database with an archive this deep can be very useful.
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tick the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Also note the "Date Range" limit, which in a database with an archive this deep can be very useful.
Project Muse , although a smaller database, it complements JSTOR. LIke JSTOR it provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options--but in addition to slapping in keywords, you can use the same Library of Congress Subject Headings that work in the Library catalog (see above under "Subject Searches"). This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals, so it's best to be as specific as possible. And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
ATLA religion database with ATLASerials : Our religion and theology database. To browse the Subject Headings available here, click on "Indexes" above the search slots and select "Subjects ALL" from the drop-down menu.
ScienceDirect : Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
Adding--ethic* or moral*-- to your search will help focus on the articles that are concerned with the ethics of the topic (* is a truncation symbol and ethic* will retrieve ethic, ethics, ethical, and ethically).
User Advisory: Don't settle for the default "Quick Search"--open "Search" for the full range of options. Among thse you can uncheck "All books," which is recommended if you're looking for articles. And if you open the "Dates" drop-down menu you'll find a much wider range of options than the default 10 year span.
Especially Note: There are many articles here on the ethical aspects of scientific and medical topics, but ScienceDirect does not allow ArticleLinker, so Philosopher's Index cannot link you to articles available only here. You must search this database separately.
Adding--ethic* or moral*-- to your search will help focus on the articles that are concerned with the ethics of the topic (* is a truncation symbol and ethic* will retrieve ethic, ethics, ethical, and ethically).
User Advisory: Don't settle for the default "Quick Search"--open "Search" for the full range of options. Among thse you can uncheck "All books," which is recommended if you're looking for articles. And if you open the "Dates" drop-down menu you'll find a much wider range of options than the default 10 year span.
Especially Note: There are many articles here on the ethical aspects of scientific and medical topics, but ScienceDirect does not allow ArticleLinker, so Philosopher's Index cannot link you to articles available only here. You must search this database separately.
CINAHL is a health literature database with excellent resources and a very helpful search interface--if you know how to approach it. Whatever your topic, first find the "CINAHL Headings" for it--the link is at the top left. When you've found the right heading--whether Alzheimer's Disease, Obesity, or Doping in Sports--click on "Explode" to the right for a list of subheadings--among them Ethical Issues and Psychosocial Factors. By ticking any of these boxes you can add them to the main Subject search, which you can then run by clicking "Search Database" at the top right.
PsycINFO : The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" below the search slots is a good idea. In addition to whatever Descriptors you find for your topic, be aware that you can always add "Ethics," "Morality," "Bioethics," or "Business Ethics" as descriptors, if appropriate. And If you find an article on exactly what you want, be sure to check the assigned "Descriptors" on the right of the citation for more ideas about useful search terms.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journal articles only" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots to eliminate book citations and foreign language articles.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
SocINDEX with Full Text : As the name implies, an excellent database for social issues. Click on the "Subject Terms" link above the search slots to find which Subject Headings will work here. Double click any Heading for a list of broader, narower, and related Subject Terms. And note that you can check the boxes to select as many Headings as you like and then "add to search using or" and run the search--all without even retyping the terms back on the home page.
LexisNexis Academic Law Reviews: Offering a keyword search of 100% full text law reviews (publishers of scholarly articles on legal issues), this is an easy database to use poorly and a bit tricky to use well. In order not to be overwhelmed by articles in which your search terms are mentioned in passing but are not the prime focus, use the atleast command to target articles in which your topic words are required to appear at least a certain number of times. For example, atleast5(“gun control”) or atleast7(genes and patents) will retrieve only the articles in which those terms are used repeatedly. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses with no space between the number you choose and the first parenthesis.
Use the date range offered under Advanced Options. Because this is a large database of 100% full text, one of the most effective ways to retrieve fewer than 1000 hits is to set up a time frame. Note: if you use the calendar icons to set beginning and end dates, you need to choose a year, a month, and a day for each. Without the day, the date won’t register.
Use the date range offered under Advanced Options. Because this is a large database of 100% full text, one of the most effective ways to retrieve fewer than 1000 hits is to set up a time frame. Note: if you use the calendar icons to set beginning and end dates, you need to choose a year, a month, and a day for each. Without the day, the date won’t register.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context : Go fishing in the search slot at the top and hope the autofill function steers you toward the right subject heading--or open the "Browse Issues" page and pick your topic from the extensive alphabetical list. Once you've connected with an issue you'll be offered resources from a range of categories, including Viewpoints, Academic Journals, Magazines, News, Reference, Statistics, and Websites.
Few databases offer 100% full text. Most retrieve a mix of full text articles and article "citations"--article title, author(s), publication info, and usually an "abstract" or one-prargraph summary of the content. When a citation makes you want the full text, look below it for this icon:
Clicking "GETIT" checks if another IC Library database offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
Clicking "GETIT" checks if another IC Library database offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
- "GETIT" will frequently find the full text in another database and open it in a new window.
- If none of our databases can access the full text but we have a print subsciption to the journal, "GETIT" will retrieve the catalog record for the journal so that you can see if the date of the article falls within the date range we have on hand.
- If full text is not available from any database or from a print subsciption, "GETIT" will provide a link to IC Interlibrary Loan. Log in (same as your IC e-mail)--and set up your account if you've never used it before. "GETIT" will have populated the article request form with all the necessary information and you simply submit the request elecrtonically. Most articles are supplied as digital files and will be sent to you via e-mail when they arrive.
"I search, therefore I am."
Rene Descartes (updated)
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Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Web)
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Web)
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Note: The Reference collection is located at the far end of the Library's main floor.
Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy
Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
Encyclopedia of Ethics
Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy
Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
Encyclopedia of Ethics
Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
MLA is the citation style used by most disciplines in the Humanities. The guides below use the latest 2008/9 standards.
