The Basics:

• Electronic copies of journals and articles are available in a wide variety of databases.
• You can find journals by clicking on the "Find Journals by Title" link on the library homepage.
• Journals are located in print on the 2nd floor and in the basement (compact stacks) of the Pollak Library North.
• Microform copies of journals are available on the 6th floor of the library south.
• Journals in print and in microform are arranged by Library of Congress Call Number ().

FAQ:

• How do I find articles?
• How do I find periodicals?
• How do I find peer-reviewed articles?
• How do I evaluate my sources?

Resources:

• Philosophy databases
• Philosophy journals

Handouts:

• Popular vs. Scholarly Periodical Literature
• Controversial Issues Handout (Phil 105)

The Basics:

• Look for books in our library using the Pollak Library Catalog or Find Books.
• You can look for books beyond our own collection by searching WorldCat or WorldCat.org.
• Get books from other libraries using LINK+ and ILLiad.
• Books are located on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floor of the Pollak Library South.
• Books are arranged in the collection based on the Library of Congress Classification System.
• The general Library of Congress Call Number for philosophical works is: B.

FAQ:

• How do I find books?
• How do I check out books?
• How do I use interlibrary loan?
• How do I use the Library of Congress Classification System?
• How many books can I check out?

Resources:

• Find Books
• Books in the library (Library Catalog)
• Books from affiliate libraries (LINK+)
• Books from anywhere (Worldcat.org)

Handouts:

• How to Read a Call Number

The Basics:

• Print reference materials are located on the first floor of the Pollak Library North.
• Reference materials often consist of general and subject-specific dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, directories, etc.
• Reference materials cannot be checked out.
• Just like books, reference materials are arranged by Library of Congress Call Number.

Electronic reference materials:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Oxford Reference Online
• Reference Universe
• Literature Research Center

Print reference materials:

• Philosophy Dictionaries
  • Example: Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
    Call Number: B41 .C35 1999
    Location: Reference
• Philosophy Encyclopedias
  • Example: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
    Call Number: B51 .R68 1998 v.1-10
    Location: Reference
• Philosophy Directories
  • Example: Directory of American Philosophers
    Call Number: B935 .D5 2006-7
    Location: Reference

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used to write research papers in the humanities. A copy of the MLA handbook for writers of research papers (6th edition) is available at the reference desk in the library.

The Basics:

• The format for a citation in the works cited list includes: Author (last name, first name). Title (underlined). Publication information.
• Every line is double spaced and each entry uses a 1/2 inch hanging indent.
• Include all authors'/editors' names in a multiple author entry with up to 3 names. With more than 3 names, include the first author and add 'et al.'
• Parenthetical documentation within your document should include an author's surname as well as the page number where the information was taken.

FAQ:

• How do I cite using MLA style?
• How do I document sources?

Handouts:

• CSUF MLA Citation Style

Other Resources:

• The Late Show: Academic Integrity Tutorial
• Student guide to avoiding plagiarism.
• Sample Paper

The Basics:

• Some valuable resources are available freely on the web but it is up to you to evaluate whether a particular site is appropriate for research purposes.
• Search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Ask, Dogpile) search for and locate websites on the internet. Each search engine searches the internet in its own unique way, so using a combination of search engines, or even a meta-search engine like Dogpile, can prove better than sticking to just one.
• There are also directories (e.g. Librarians Internet Index, Internet Public Library) which are human compiled search tools that provide access to manually selected intenet resources.

FAQ:

• How do I evaluate my sources?

Handouts:

• 6 Criteria for Evaluating Websites

Resources:

• Episteme Links
  • A highly popular directory that has been up and running since 1997 and is consistently up-to-date.
• Noesis: Philosophy Research On-line (beta)
  • A search engine with a target of "academic scholarship in philosophy that is freely available online."
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • "The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy was founded in 1995 for the purpose of providing detailed, scholarly information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy."
• 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."
• American Philosophical Association
  • The official website of the American Philosophical Association acts as a "gateway to information about philosophy and philosophers" including news, web resources, links to conferences and other organizations, etc.
• Wikipedia Philosophy Portal
  • Wikipedia is an enormous reference website that can be edited by anyone with an internet connection, with some exceptions. With that in mind, this is a portal/directory of the philosophical content of Wikipedia.