Most of the resources recommended here are within the discipline of philosophy. It is important to remember, however, that almost any topic has philosophical or ethical issues connected with it. For example, if you are interested in the issue of cloning, you would find useful information in the reference books on biology and medicine, as well as in the philosophy books. Using indexes related to biology or medicine in addition to the general ones listed below would be appropriate.
Reference Works
Specialized reference works like the ones listed below are very useful for research. Specialized encyclopedias can provide useful overviews or convenient explanations. Specialized dictionaries give a more precise definition of terms as they are used by a particular field of study. Concordances can help you locate exactly where particular words appear in texts. The print titles here are located on the first floor of the Library. Browse around the same areas to find other useful titles. To access online sources, just click on the title.
Click here for a complete listing of electronic reference resources
- Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
- Reference B 41 .C35
- Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
- Reference B 1221 .C66 1997
- Credo
- A collection of hundreds of reference sources covering all subject areas.
- Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names
- Dictionary of the History of Ideas
- Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
- Reference BH 56 .E53
- Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
- Reference B 163 .E53 1997
- Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Reference B 41 .E5
- Encyclopedia of Postmodernism
- Reference B 831.2 .E63
- Great Books of the Western World (Especially the Syntopican v.1-2)
- Reference AC 1 .G72 1990
- The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Key Ideas in Human Thought
- Reference B 41 .K48 1993
- New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
- Reference CB 9 .N49 2005
- Oxford Companion to Philosophy
- Reference B 51 .O94 1995
- Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Although this is not a philosophy dictionary, it is very comprehensive.
- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Reference B 51 .R68 1998
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- World Philosophers and Their Works
- Reference B104 .W67 2000
Library Catalogs
Use the catalogs below to locate print and audio-visual materials.
- COD Library Catalog
- Items owned by the C.O.D. Library. Includes many eBooks.
- I-Share
- Materials at 76 Illinois libraries. You may borrow directly from North Central College Library, Wheaton College, Benedictine University and Elmhurst College
- WorldCat
- A large number of US and some world libraries
Databases
Although the College of DuPage Library has no print or online indexes specifically for philosophy, many of these general sources cover the topic well. In many cases, the databases will have the full text article available online. If you are using these databases from off-campus, please be sure to have your library card available.
- Academic OneFile
- General database.
- Academic Search Premier
- General Database.
- Essay and General Literature Index
- Indexes chapters or essays in books.
- Literature Resource Center
- Contains, biographical and critical information about authors and their works from both reference sources and journals.
- JSTOR
- JSTOR is an archive of digitized journal articles ranging in date from the 1700's to the early 2000's. These collections span a variety of subjects in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences.
- PhilPapers
- PhilPapers is a comprehensive directory of online philosophical articles and books by academic philosophers.
Internet Sites
- General Philosophy Sites
- Philosopher's and Their Works
- Topics and Issues
Resources for Writing
Citing Sources
The MLA format (Modern Language Association) is commonly used to create bibliographies or works cited pages. Some professors in the humanities may prefer the Chicago Manual or Style or even APA (American Psychological Association). It's always best to be clear which style is preferred. The sources below may help you.
- Citing Sources
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- Research and Documentation Online
Writing Abstracts
You may be asked to write abstracts for the sources you use in your research. You will find information on writing abstracts at St. Cloud University or at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) also has an information sheet available on Writing Report Abstracts.
General Writing Guides
- Dartmouth Writing Program, Materials for Students: Writing the Academic Paper
- Doing Philosophy, A Guide to the Writing of Philosophy Papers
- B 52.7 .F45 2002
- Philosophy Student Writer's Manual
- B 52.7 .G73 2003
- Research Strategies: Finding your way through the Information Fog
- The Writing Center; University of North Carolina
- Writing Philosophy Papers
- B 52.7 .S44 2004
Ken Orenic, Reference Librarian
630.942.2338
orenick@cod.edu
Sept 2012
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