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Philosophy Library Resources

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

Reference books provide background information of your research topics as well as definition of topics/terms for your subject. Use subject reference books rather than language dictionaries.

 
How?
Outcomes
Browse titles on the shelves Go to Quick Reference on Level 2 . Most Philosophy reference books are at the call numbers B-BJ. Ask at the Information Desk for more details The most recent editions of subject dictionaries and encyclopaedias can be found there (Reference only)
Search the Library Catalogue Do a Title Search if you look for a particular title. Use "Keyword Boolean" for keyword search. e.g. (dictionary or encyclopaedia) and philosophy The Catalogue gives locations and  status of items (some copies may be borrowed). Some books may be available online.
Search the Online Databases On the LibraryLink page, go to General & Reference. Then find Encyclopedia Britannica , Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection or Xrefer Plus Access to online databases requires current username and password. Databases are also available off campus.

 

Finding books and journals (Using the library catalogue)

The Library Catalogue tells you about all materials available online and in the Library.

When you need a book or journal, are you looking for :

A particular title? (You know which book or journal title you need to find. e.g. You have a reading list)

Books and Journals relevant to your research? (You are not sure which one)

1. Type the title of the book/journal you need to find. 1. Analyse your question and brainstorm keywords . To combine keywords, type a phrase like - logic and rhetoric
2. Select "Title begins with... " 2. Select "Keyword boolean (AND/ OR/ NOT)"
3. Select "Journals" if you want a journal.
4. Click 'Search Button' and all available titles in the catalogue will be shown alphabetically. 		3. Click the 'Search Button' and the result will be shown according to relevance with keywords (Select 'Sort by' if necessary).
5. Select the correct title and write down both the  "location" and the "call number". 4. Select the correct title and write down both the "location" and the "call number".
6. If you didn't find anything, the Library may not have it. If you are not sure, ask at the Information Desk. 5. If you didn't find anything, the Library may not have it. If you are not sure, ask at the Information Desk.

 

To learn more about searching the Library Catalogue:

  • Attend Library Tutorials or
  • Try one of our self-paced online tutorials WISE (Search Strategies and Library Catalogue)

 

What are journal articles?

A brief composition on a topic usually published in a journal, magazine or newspaper. There are two types of journal articles. Use journal articles of different types selectively depending on your needs. For academic research, you are encouraged to find academic journal articles.

<1> Popular Magazines/Newspapers

<2> Professional/Academic Journals

Articles in popular journals are often written by lay reporters and are written in a familiar language designed to be read by general audiences

Articles in academic journals are written by experts on particular topics and the articles are peer-reviewed before being accepted for publication by experts

e.g. The Listener. Time.

e.g. Philosophical Quarterly

 

Finding articles (Using the databases)

The Library Catalogue lists journals held in the library by their title, but it does NOT list the articles within the journals. To find articles, you need to use Library Databases (Electronic Indexes). From LibraryLink databases, most articles are available online. If the full text is not available, search the Catalogue to locate the journal title and find the issue you need to find.

 

Recommended Databases for Philosophy

Authentication (with active username and password) is required to access the Librarylink's subscription databases.

 

Other resources for further research and support

The Internet

Web-search engines such as Google are NOT the same as library databases. Although you may find some useful articles from the World Wide Web, you must be mindful of the nature of Internet publications when searching the web. Anyone can publish on the web today. Before relying on information from the web, you must evaluate the information and decide whether it is good enough for academic research. Otherwise, arguments in your essay will lose credibility.

For further details, refer to one of our library guides, Evaluating Internet Websites . The WISE online tutorial, "Avoiding Plagiarism" and "Internet & WWW" modules will also be informative.

Assistance

If you need any assistance in library research, come to the Information Desk at either on Level 2 of Central Library. Your subject librarian Ruth Ivey (Central Library: 838-4466 ext.4749, rivey@waikato.ac.nz .) is available to help you with library research.

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