Research Guide for
Philosophy 100.10: Self-Constitution, Self-Identity

The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.

General Reference Encyclopedia

Britannica Online offers the full text of the multivolume paper encyclopedia set, including its numerous bibliographies, maps, and photographs, as well as supplying links to related Web sites for many of the topics covered.

"This dictionary presents informal and understandable definitions for important philosophical terms. Emphasis is on terms most commonly covered in beginning philosophy courses: epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, logic and the philosophies of religion and politics." (Preface) Includes and index of philosophers.

Blackburn, Simon. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. (Olin Ref B41 B62)

This dictionary is meant to be a "resource for anyone interested in general intellectual movements". (Preface) It contains definitions to over 3000 philosophical terms and those from related disciplines (theology, physics, psychology, sociology) "where such terminology is heavily embedded in philosophical discussion". (Preface) It also includes historical philosophers and scientists whose work brought about major changes in philosophical thought. The definitions contain extensive cross-references.

Craig, Edward, ed. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy London; New York: Routledge, 1998. (Olin Ref B 51 R68 1998 and the Electronic Text Center in Olin Library)

The Routledge Encyclopedia provides an excellent update to the older Encyclopedia of Philosophy. It covers a wide range of philosophical topics in 9 vols., (the tenth volume is the index) containing just over 2,000 signed entries. There are many more entries than in the older encyclopedia, with much better coverage of non-Western philosophy and more biographical entries. Survey articles are not as comprehensive, however. The Routledge Encyclopedia's coverage of ethics is noticeably better, making this a first choice for ethicists. Articles are followed by brief bibliographies. An excellent resource.

Edwards, Paul, ed. The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 8 vols. New York: MacMillan, l967; Suppl. 1996. (Uris Ref +B 51 E56; also Olin Ref and Mann Ref)

The most comprehensive source of philosophical information. The Encyclopedia discusses Eastern and Western philosophy and deals with ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy. The work contains nearly 1,500 lengthy articles of value for the specialist as well as for the beginner.

Lacey, A.R. A Dictionary of Philosophy. London: Routledge, 1996. (Olin Ref B 41 L13)

An excellent source for explaining philosophical concepts. Epistemology and logic occupy far more space than ethics, politics or aesthetics. Some of the more extensive definitions include bibliographical references. There are approximately eighty philosophers represented and many cross references.

Runes, Dagobert D., ed. Dictionary of Philosophy. New York: Philosophical Library, 1983. (Olin Ref B 41 D55+ 1983)

This dictionary provides "clear, concise, and correct definitions and descriptions of the philosophical terms, throughout the range of philosophic thought." (Preface) All the branches and schools of ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy are represented. Includes cross-references and some bibliographical references.

Bynagle, Hans E. Philosophy: A Guide to the Reference Literature. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1986. (Olin Ref Z 7125 B99)

This guide to reference sources covers Western and non-Western philosophy with an emphasis on English language works. Arranged by type of reference source, it also includes core journals and professional organizations and research centers for further information. Each entry contains a valuable lengthy critical, evaluative annotation. Includes subject, author, and title indexes.

DeGeorge, Richard T. The Philosopher's Guide to Sources, Research Tools, Professional Life and Related Fields. Lawrence:Regents,1980. (Olin Ref Z7125 D31)

A comprehensive guide to reference sources in philosophy, including biographies of major philosophers. Arranged systematically by subject, each chapter begins with a general introduction and lists works according to genre and language. There are annotations and evaluations for selected works. Includes sections on general research tools and works in related fields. Also contains an author, title, and subject index.

Tice, Terrence N. and Thomas P. Slavens. Research Guide to Philosophy. Chicago: ALA, 1983. (Uris Ref B 52 T55; also Olin Ref)

A guide to information sources in philosophy. Divided onto three sections, parts I and II offer bibliographic essays which survey the history of philosophy, describe major areas of study and methodology, and introduce current issues and research. The essays focus on concepts presented in key secondary works with citations for these references given in full following each chapter. Part III lists and annotates major reference works in philosophy. Author-title and subject indexes are included.

Return to Table of Contents

---

FINDING BOOKS

Cornell University Library Catalog, the Olin Library Card Catalog, and NetLibrary

Cornell University Library Catalog

The Cornell University Library Catalog includes the holdings of all 17 libraries on the Ithaca campus, in addition to those of the Geneva Experiment Station. The catalog contains records for books, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual materials received and cataloged since 1973. There are also records for most pre-1973 items, and for items that are on order or in process.

When to Check the Card Catalog

Some materials in the humanities and social sciences acquired prior to 1973 have records that have not yet been converted to digital form. Access to these records is through the card catalog located in Olin Library. The card catalog contains cards for authors, titles, and subjects filed in an alphabetical, word-by-word arrangement.

NetLibrary: Electronic Books Collection

A collection of eBooks (electronic books) selected by the Cornell University Library.
(For a complete list of netLibrary titles currently available,
do a keyword search for "netlibrary" in the CU Library Catalog.)

Return to Table of Contents

---

FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts

Articles

Periodical articles are an excellent source for detailed analysis or up-to-date information on a topic. These articles are from materials that are published "periodically" or in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or even irregular intervals. They are found in newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and other sources.

Periodicals are available in several formats: bound paper volumes (like books), microfiche or microfilm, and increasingly as electronic text.

Indexes and Abstracts

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts are Reference resources that identify and locate articles in periodical publications. They are often subject-oriented and list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication in entries called bibliographic citations. For information about bibliographic format and how to cite resources that you use in your research, go to Citing Sources.

Abstracts are specialized indexes that also include summaries of the content of the articles with their citations.

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts also come in several formats: traditional and historical bound paper volumes, stand alone CD-ROM computer workstations, and more recently as networked databases available via the Internet.

Networked indexes and abstracts come in a variety of versions and interfaces. If you have questions, ask at the Reference Desk.

Full text Articles

An ever growing number of periodical indexes offer access to the full text of articles electronically. Use the Library Gateway to find full text resources.

Selected Periodical Indexes and Abstracts

---

Philosopher's Index. (Library Gateway--Networked Resources)

Provides indexing and abstracts from books an many journals on philosophy and related interdisciplinary fields published in the U.S. and the Western World. Coverage is from 1940 to the present for U.S. materials, and 1967 to the present for non-U.S. references.

Philosopher's Index: A Retrospective Index to U.S. Publications from 1940. 3 vols. Bowling Green: Philosophy Documentation Center, 1978-80. (Olin Ref Z 7127 P544+)

Includes citations to 6,000 original philosophy books published in the U.S. between 1940 and 1976, and 15,000 articles published in philosophy journals in the U.S. between 1940 and 1966. Format is similar to Philosopher's Index: subject and author indexes with abstracts.

JSTOR : redefining access to scholarly literature.
(Library Gateway -- Networked Resources)

JSTOR is a fully-searchable database containing the back issues of scholarly journals in history, philosophy, economics, political science, demography, mathematics and other fields.

FINDING RESOURCES ON THE WEB

• OKU Reference List of Internet Search Engines

• OKU Reference List of Internet Subject Guides

  
  

FINDING NETWORKED RESOURCES

Cornell Library Gateway

The Cornell Library Gateway is a web site which provides a unified approach to finding information about the Cornell University Library and to selecting and connecting to our diverse and growing constellation of networked electronic resources and services.

Buttons on the left side of the screen will always be available to help you navigate among a variety of choices. The Cornell University Library Catalog is at the top of the array to make it easy for you to connect and search for books, journal titles and many other types of materials at Cornell. Networked Resources, the default display on the right side of the screen, enables you to identify and connect to networked electronic resources, such as periodical indexes, full text documents or numeric data files. About CU Library leads you to a wealth of information about the Library, including individual library web sites. Services provides information about library services such as circulation, instruction and reference, and enables you to make a variety of requests, electronically, for services such as book renewals and interlibrary borrowing. Help provides information on a wide variety of general and technical topics that will help you understand and use the CU Library as well as the Library Gateway. And if you need personal help you can click on "Ask a Librarian" at the bottom of each page. Last, but not least, the CUInfo button enables you to connect easily to the Cornell University information system.

Networked Resources contains titles, descriptive information, and links to over 1,200 networked electronic resources, including periodical indexes, numeric and spatial data files, catalogs, audio-visual materials, and full text documents such as electronic journals and reference sources. It is a "database of databases." There are two main ways to search for databases in your areas of interest: searching and browsing.

Searching for Databases

Click on the top search box to select the type of resource you are interested in, such as indexes or full text, or all types, then type a keyword or keywords in the second search box. The Networked Resources database will then generate a list of resources (databases) that match your search request.

Browsing for Databases

Below the Search boxes you will find a menu of subject categories. Click on a subject category to browse lists of resources available in that subject area. Or, you can browse the lists of New Resources, "Greatest Hits" (frequently used databases), or the Alphabetical List of titles contained in the Networked Resources database (over 1,200 titles and growing).

Once you have identified the networked resource you are interested in, you can then connect to it directly to gather the information you need to perform a search on your specific topic in the file or database you have selected.

Return to Table of Contents

FINDING INTERNET RESOURCES

SEARCH ENGINES AND SUBJECT GUIDES

Use search engines or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web on your topic. Search Engines are software that allow you to search the contents of web pages and Subject Guides are web pages that use menus and lists to sort and classify web sites.

Question Authority! The Internet is a very democratic tool, in that anyone can write or say virtually anything they wish to on it. As you would do with books and journal articles, look to see who is responsible for producing the web page or site that you are accessing. Does the individual or institution have a particular bias or concern or agenda in presenting their information. How objective is the information? How accurate or truthful? How authoritative?

• Five criteria for evaluating Web pages

• Internet Reference Resources chosen by the O*K*U Reference staff

• Search the Internet

• Internet Subject Guides