Elizabeth Phipps, Head of Cataloging Liaison to the USM Philosophy Dept. Glickman Library, Portland ephipps@usm.maine.edu (207) 780-4990

Reference sources are normally used to obtain quick facts such as definitions, statistics, brief biographies, etc. They are a great place to get started on your research. For instance, defining unfamiliar terms or exploring different aspects of your topic in a subject-specific encyclopedia may be an effective way to brainstorm for ways to approach your research. These are just a few of the reference resources that are available through USM libraries.

Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Philosophers
POR Ref B104 .B5 1996

The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
POR Ref B41 C35 1999

Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy

Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
POR Ref B121 .E53 2001

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
POR Ref B51 .R68 1998 [10 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy
POR Ref B163 .E53 1997

The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen
POR Ref BL1005 .L4813 1994

World Philosophy: Essay-Reviews of 225 Major Works
POR Ref B29 W68 1988 [5 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
POR Ref BH56 E53 1998 [4 vols.]

Encyclopedia of Ethics
POR & LEW Ref BJ63 E45 1992

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
POR & GOR Ref BJ63 .A66 1998

If you don't have a particular journal or article in mind, but are hoping to find journal articles on your topic, go directly to one of the databases below. If you are looking for a particular article from a particular journal, find out which USM database indexes that journal by searching the USM e-journals collection or whether USM libraries own the title in print by searching the print journals collection.

Academic Search Premier
Provides full-text access to about 3500 peer-reviewed journals, and citation information for approximately 7000 journals, magazines, and newspapers in total. Coverage dates vary by resource.

Arts and Humanities Search
Indexes almost 1500 arts and humanities journals. Coverage begins with 1980.

Philosopher's Index
Indexes books, and more than 270 philosophy journals. Coverage begins with 1940 for U.S. references, 1967 for non-U.S. material.

Project Muse
Indexes and provides full-text access to over 220 journals from 37 scholarly publishers. Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others.

Electronic journals: Full Text (EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service)
Full-text articles from nearly 700 disciplinary journals. Coverage dates vary by resource.

More databases: Philosophy Resources by Subject Page.

Books

Ursus Catalog: The online catalog of the University of Maine System Libraries as well as the Maine State Library, the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library and the Bangor Public Library. It is possible to request to have books sent from one campus to another that is closer to you. Visit the UMS URSUS Tutorial for more info.

MaineCat: This catalog searches a wider range of libraries than URSUS, though all are within the state of Maine. It is possible to request to have books sent from one campus to another that is closer to you.

World Cat: "Allows users to search the collections of libraries in their communities and thousands more around the world."

Web sites can be excellent sources of information, but require that you think critically about the information presented, especially since anyone can publish a Web site whether they are an expert on the topic being presented or not. Here are a few reliable sources of information that are pertinent to philosophy majors. For other reliable sites, try the Librarians' Internet Index list of philosophy Web sites.

American Philosophical Assocation Web Resources Index
"...guide to philosophical resources on the Internet, including a database of active women philosophers, and a list of sites dedicated to philosophers. " (description from Librarians' Internet Index)

EpistemeLinks
An organized collection of thousands of links to resources devoted to philosophy. Includes links to resources on philosophers, topics in philosophy, images, print and electronic journals, and e-texts. The topics pages have links to terms in various online general and specialized encyclopedias. " (description from Librarians' Internet Index)

Ethics Updates
"Ethics Updates is designed primarily to be used by ethics instructors and their students. It is intended to provide resources and updates on current literature, both popular and professional, that relates to ethics." Edited by Lawrence M. Hinman, Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego.

Internet Public Library philosophy resources page
Provides free access to electronic versions of key philosophical works and links to philosophy Web sites.

Most philosophy professors will probably prefer that you cite your sources in MLA (Modern Language Association) style. However, check with your individual professor to find out which citation style he or she would prefer that you use.

Web sites that will assist you with the process...

Citing References in Your Paper: Examples of citations for sources of difference formats for Chicago/Turabian, MLA and APA styles, from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Resources and Documentation Online: a Web-based adaptation of Diana Hacker's
Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age (4th ed.) published by Bedford St. Martin's Press.

Son of Citation Machine: after users select a citation style and enter citation information into a form, Son of Citation Machine arranges the information into a citation. Beware: this tool, though useful, is not foolproof. Be sure to proofread citations generated by this site carefully before including them in your bibliography.

Acadia University Interactive Tutorial: You Quote it, You Note it: A fun and informative way to learn about citing sources. Covers when you are required to cite your sources in order to avoid plagiarizing and the basics of creating citations.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (only if you are required to use APA style)
POR & GOR Reference, LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83

MLA handbook for writers of research papers
POR & GOR Reference, LEW Reserve LB2369 .G53 2003