Research and Writing in Philosophy

Research in Philosophy

Like many disciplines in the humanities, Philosophy places a strong emphasis on written text as the object of research. As articluated in Bernhard Fabian's In Close Association: Research, Humanities and the Library:

"While it is also a depository of research results, the humanistic library is also much more: it is a reservoir of primary sources for research. Its holdings combine scholarly research literature along with the original works needed for humanistic research. Therefore, the humanistic library is not only a collection of literature but also the place for doing research. It is a combined reservoir and workshop." (Fabian, 8, 1998)

Philosophical research involves the use of a wide range of resources including books, journal articles, primary resources, and reference works. This guide will provide you with a brief overview the best places to discover these resources. 

References

Fabian, B., & Boll, J. J. (1998). In close association : the humanities, research, and the library. University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science. https://uwindsor.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01UTON_UW/sgtkuc/alma9978211002181

Some general tips when searching:

• Break your topic down into its component concepts and articulate those concepts with keywords that you can use to formulate your search. For example, if you're writing a paper about Plato's conception of the soul in Phaedo you might articulate some of the following key concepts:
  • Plato
  • Care of the soul
  • Recollection
• If you aren't seeing the results you expected, change your terms. Use synonyms and broader or narrower terms related to your keywords.
• Once you've found a good resource, note the language used by the author to describe their topic and borrow their language for future searches.
• Pay attention to the references in the footnotes or end notes in the works you're reading. They look back to papers that have influenced your author and may also be relevant to your work. 
• Works which cite the work you're reading have been influenced by it. They may also be relevant to your work. You can usually find out who has cited your book or article by looking for "Cited By" link in Google Scholar or the Database you're using