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Philosophy

Top Databases in Philosophy

Before you choose a database, be sure to plan your search and review how to use keywords in your search. If you need help planning your search or deciding which database(s) to use, feel free to make an appointment with me. 

Additional databases for Philosophy:

Browse Philosophy Journals

Video and Information about Finding and Using Articles

screenshot of module showing Database Searching title

If you have a citation for an article that you would like to find, use this step by step guide that walks you through the process.

Let's start with our example citation: 

Boksem, M.A.S., & Smidts, A. (2015). Brian responses to movie trailers predict individual preferences for movies and their population-wide commercial success. Journal of Marketing Research, 52(4), 482-492.

Begin at the Journal Finder on Wallace Library's homepage and enter the title of the journal in which your article was published. 

So for our example citation, we will be looking for the Journal of Marketing Research. 

Screenshot of the library's homepage indicating that you navigate to the journals tab and enter the title of the journal in which your article was published.

 

Once you've entered in your journal title and clicked search, you will get a page similar to below. If you get no results or if the journal you are seeking does not show up, the library does not have access to the journal and you may submit a request through interlibrary loan. 

Using our example citation from above, I want to click on the title Journal of Marketing Research. 

Screenshot of the journal page showing the articles available for each issue. Archive of articles allow you to navigate to the year, volume, and issue of the article you seek.

 

Now we need to navigate to the correct issue in which the article was published. To do that we identify the year, volume, and issue in our citation. 

Using our example citation,  I am looking for an article that was published in 2015, volume 52, issue 4. 

Screenshot of the journal page with the year, volume, and issue highlighted to demonstrate how to narrow down your results to the article you seek.

 

Now that you've navigated to the correct issue in which your article was published, you can scroll down until you see the title of the article. Click on the PDF button to download the PDF of the article. 

Screenshot of article level information. Click on the download PDF to get the full text of the article.

 

If you have any difficulties, please don't hesitate to reach out!

Reading Scholarly Articles in the Humanities. Step 1: If the article has an abstract, read it! Step 2: Determine the main argument. Usually found in the 1st or 2nd paragraph. Hint: The arguments of the author usually lie around the primary and secondary examples they use. Underline the arguments you can use in your paper! Step 3: Label the examples used in the article based on if it is a primary or secondary source. Look for quotes or indentations to find these examples. Step 4: Read the article. Cover to cover may be the best option, as the author usually builds up their argument as they go. Paragraphs usually have topic sentences. Make notes about the main ideas as you go. Hint: Don’t cite an author citing another author. If you want to use an example, go find the original. This includes both primary and secondary sources. Step 5: As you read, define unknown terms and look up unfamiliar concepts or ideas. Final Hints: Don’t ignore the critics used in your article. If they will help your argument, go find them! Remember that you don’t have to agree with a critic. You can argue against them. Image: Undergraduate Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Reproduced with permission.