LibGuides: Patterns- Salon Project: Step Three: In-Depth Resarch

Step Three: In-Depth Research

Now, it is time to look and read over for the following types of information:

Primary Documents- famous works by the philosopher, letters written to other philosophers, etc.
Secondary analysis of your philosopher's works by historians and scholars

You will find these types of information in:

Library Books
- a cart of books have been pulled for this project. Some books are by the philosophers, other books are secondary analysis and historical studies of the philosopher. Check out the cart, and feel free to search our catalog for more books!
Google Books
- most of the works will be in the Public Domain, meaning they are free to read online
Academic Journals
- these resources can be found in EbscoHost, JSTOR, and Gale World History
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Another great resource for primary documents

Internet History Sourcebook: Englightenment
Great place to locate a variety of primary documents about different individuals. You can either browse through the topic, or search for your assigned person in the search bar at the top right.

Encyclopedia Britannica This link opens in a new window
Do a search for your philosopher, and then look at the menu on the left to see if there are any primary documents associated with your individual.

Google Books
Most of your philosophers' writings are in the public domain, so search for books and writings by your author in Google Books
Project Gutenberg
Another place to find great book sources that will have primary documents are books written by your philosopher.

Gale in Context: World History This link opens in a new window
This time when you search Gale, you can explore the other resources, besides reference and biographies, that are linked on the page. Check out the Academic Journals and some of the popular magazine articles.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This is a great resource for academic journal articles with analysis about the thoughts, ideals, life, etc. of the philosophers. Be specific in your search terms- do not do a broad search with just the philosopher's name. Instead, use the name and possibly the name of his or her famous works, or whatever topic you are looking at (such as religion, politics, etc.). Perform multiple searches, and use the Advanced Search function.
EbscoHost This link opens in a new window
This is also a great option for Academic Journals as well as eBooks. You can select the specific databases that will have what you want- just make sure to read the description! As noted above, use specific keywords, not just the name of your philosopher.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Some reference books with general information as well as some with primary sources. Search for your individual and see what you can find!

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
This is an excellent resource for in-depth biographies. Search for the name of a philosopher, and read the article (it is usually separated into individual sections). This can also be used later for articles on a philosopher's specific approach to different topics.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Another great source for biographies on philosophers. You can search by clicking on the letter of the last name of your philosopher, and finding all articles related to that individual.