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Philosophy Subject Guide: online library support

Subject Guide - help and guidance on finding resources in your subject area


 Welcome to the Philosophy LibGuide

  Use this guide to help you make the most of the library and information resources and services.  

New to the University?  Explore the Getting Started with the Library guide to learn all about the Library basics. 

Your Philosophy Librarian

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Nicola Howorth

Dissertation workshop

Where to start your search

Library Search


Search across the print and online collections for books, chapters, articles, journals and lots more. 

For more in depth research in databases and archives, use the A-Z Databases List.

Expand your search

Key Databases

Research databases provide references to journal articles, books, conference proceedings, reports and other types of  material that match your search keywords.                                                                                                                                                                                    

The Library has numerous online resources including encyclopedias, online collections of full works of key philosophers and theologians and introductory topic materials. For example:

Use the Databases A-Z List to access all the resources available to you.

You can browse by subject (e.g. Philosophy) or type (e.g.maps, news, images etc.) or search to find your required resource.

JSTOR provides access to scholarly book, journal and primary sources via an easy to use search interface.

Use the How to Search JSTOR LibGuide for an introduction to the service or take a look at JSTOR's Vimeo channel for educational and instructional videos. 

The following video shows you how to use ebooks on the JSTOR service.

 

 

News sources can be invaluable research resources. 

 

 

  • They provide contemporaneous accounts of events as they emerge and unfold, affording a snapshot of developments at a point in time.
  • You can engage in historical research by tracing commentary on issues over time, to identify and track changing political, economic and social trends. 
  • The availability of news resources online allows for very effective and comprehensive searching, in a way that was impossible with print or microfilm / microfiche editions of the newspapers 

 

Find out more on the News LibGuide 

 

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. Explore TED talks on topics related to Philosophy.

 

You can use the following catalogues to search for material held at other libraries:

  • Library Hub Discover - search and locate books and journals throughout the collections of the UK research and specialist libraries.
  • WorldCAT - lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and tens of thousands more around the world.  It also has a mobile app you can download.
  • The European Library - gives access to the collections of the 48 National Libraries of Europe and leading European Research Libraries.

  • The Library of Congress - contains the catalog records for books, serials, manuscripts, maps, music, recordings, images, and electronic resources in the Library of Congress collections in the USA.
  • LibWeb - Access to a listing of online library catalogues worldwide
  • CORE - gives an incredibly fast search of the full-text of 80M open access research resources

Effective Searching & Referencing

It is important to plan your search strategy, and manage your search results so that you get the most from your online searching.

Keep a record of all the material you need to cite in your assignments, papers, projects etc. 

Use the Search Techniques and Referencing guidance to assist you.

  • It is  easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of information available to you.  
  • Invest time in planning an effective online search strategy so that you can quickly and easily discover relevant and high quality information. 

 

As you search you need to keep track of all the material you will be using in your academic work so that you can cite and reference it appropriately.

Top Tip

Always check your module handbook for specific departmental guidance on the style required for your assessed works and dissertations.  Check with your personal tutor or dissertation supervisor if you need clarification.

For more guidance take a look at:

Find out more about the skills support available to help you develop a range of study skills including essay writing, referencing, critical reading and getting the most out of lectures.

Study Skills Support

Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO) is a great resource to use when you are planning and conducting your research. 

It is targeted at social science researchers but is useful across all subject areas as it covers key research methodology topics that are applicable across the research spectrum.

Sage have produced a comprehensive LibGuide to help you get the best from the resource.

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