Philosophy Subject Guide

Introduction

This guide outlines library resources specific to philosophy, both in print and online.

It includes:

1) Explanations of each type of philosophy resource

2) Search terms to enter in a KEYWORD search in the catalogue. A KEYWORD search looks for you search terms anywhere in an item's title, subject, author, publisher, series or notes fields.

HINT: When you have retrieved an item via a keyword search, if you click on the SUBJECT heading assigned to that item, you can retrieve the records for all other items in our library assigned the same subject headings.

3) Some examples. These lists try to indicate major works in the area, but there are many more held by the library that are not listed.

General Library Information

Information about general research techniqes and general library tools and materials can be found at the sites below.

Library FAQs Beginning your research Searching using the catalogue MyLibrary Other library catalogues Finding ebooks Finding theses	Using databases Using the Library Portal : this lets you conduct a single search simultaneously on 10 different databases of your choice Alerting services : Automatic email notification when new articles about your chosen topic are entered in selected databases. How to cite references

[ Top ]

Location of Philosophy Resources in the Library

Many items are accessed online and a few are shelved in the reference collection in Link Level 3. Required reading for units are in the Reserve Collection.

Philosophy books are in South Wing Level 4.The journals are on South Wing Level 1.

They are shelved at Dewey numbers 100 to 199, with psychology shelved in the 150's in the middle. The philosophy and theory of each major Dewey division is at x01. (eg. 601 is the philosophy of technology, 701 is the philosphy of art).

Here is a detailed list of Dewey numbers relating to philosophy:

[ Top ]

Monographs (Books)

A monograph is a single work about a specific subject, (as opposed to a journal or a periodical). They can be electronic or print.

If you use an item in an assignment, always ensure you have checked the date that it was published. To find out what has been written on the subject after this date, you can search the databases via the Library Portal or Databases page.

KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS: <topic name> AND dictionary

Example: existent** AND dictionary (This will retrieve dictionaries with the words "existential, exitentialism or existentialist in their record)

KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS: <topic name> AND encyclop**

Example: phenomenology AND encyclop**

KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS: <topic name> AND companion

Example: mind AND companion

KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS: <topic name> AND (reader OR readings)

Example: "moral philosophy" AND (reader OR readings) (The inverted commas and the brackets are essential in this example)

Example: Singer AND animal

EXAMPLES:

[ Top ]

Journals

HOW TO FIND THEM: All journals accessible at Murdoch are listed in the catalogue whether they are held in print or electronic format. Some titles are held in both formats.

TITLE catalogue search: Enter the first few words of the title of the JOURNAL, not the article.

KEYWORD catalogue search:

The call number and location will be shown for journals available in print, and a direct link to those which are electronic. When there is more than one access point to an electronic journal, prefer the publisher's site.

The full text of many journal articles can be downloaded directly by using database available through the Library Portal or databases page.

Recent print issues are available separately in the new journal display.

EXAMPLES:

[ Top ]

Databases

They may include

• citations only (ie minimum information needed to locate items)
• citations and abstracts (or summaries)
• citations, abstracts and full text of items (in this case they may also be called electronic journal collections).

HOW TO FIND THEM: Go to the the Library Portal or Databases page. Both have drop down menus for each discipline, including a list of databases useful for philosophy.

[ Top ]

Internet Sites

Important factors to consider are;

• Whose web site is it?
• What is their interest in the material (ie what approach)?
• When was the material last updated?
• How current is the information?
• Do the links work?

For a more detailed discussion please see Evaluating Web Resources, produced by Cornell University Library.

HOW TO FIND THEM: Murdoch library has a separate page of Philosophy internet sites

On the philosophy internet sites page, you will find:

Philosophy at Murdoch Online Reference Associations Internet Tutorials

Indexing sites Communitites Specific Topics

[ Top ]