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Research Interests of Philosophy Department Faculty
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Niagara University Library Guide to Philosophy Research
Contact the Library subject specialist for philosophy:
Samantha Gust
Start with:
Then, if you need to do more in-depth research, go to the following:
Tip: It's often a good idea to search a general database like Academic Search Complete before you
search a specialized database like Philosopher's Index. Why?
Because Academic Search Complete is more up to date and provides access to the
most recent issues of many of the leading journals. Philosopher's Index will help you do more comprehensive research.
The databases listed above cover philosophy
quite well. However, there are some other useful databases:
Research that appears in books is an important part of philosophy research.
To locate books owned by Niagara University Library, use the Library Catalog.
If you want to search for books
owned by other libraries too, then try searching WorldCat, a catalog that contains references to more
than 57 million items owned by 9,000 libraries worldwide. Don't worry - if
you need a book owned by another library, you can request it. To learn
how, go to the section called Obtaining Materials NU
Library Does Not Own.
Tip: One thing to note when searching for books is that
they are often not as specific as articles, so construct your
search in a more general way than you would for an article search.
For example, if you were searching Philosopher's Index, you might type Descartes and free will.
You could try the same search in the Library Catalog, but then you would also probably
want to find books by or about Descartes and then look in the indexes for references to his
concept of free will.
Reference books can be a good place to start your research if you don't yet have a firm grasp of your topic.
They will explain concepts and key terms, provide historical background and identify the names of key philosophers.
The Library has a strong collection of online and print reference works. You will find these online titles useful:
Two other reputable online philosophy encyclopedias are:
For a list of some of the best philosophy web sites, visit the
Internet Public Library.
If you need an article or a book that NU Library does not own, we will try to get it for you. Just go to the Interlibrary Loan page to order it.
Tip: If the article or book you need is owned
by another library in Western New York, you can visit that library
and use their resources on site (view a list of
Western New York library web sites).
Please note: If you wish to borrow a book from another
Western New York library, you can get an Infopass Card at the Reference Desk.
The Philosophy Department does not require the use of a particular style manual, so check with your professor.
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