CCSF Library: Philosophy: Articles

Recommended Resources for Philosophy

Databases are searchable containers of the source types listed above: books, magazines, journals, and media, but not webpages (which you search on the open web). Databases are owned by a few different companies, and the library pays for access to make relevant sources available for your research. The sources in the databases are rarely available for free on the open web.

When doing research in Philosophy, we recommend the following options:

JSTOR Philosophy Collection
Use the search box on this page to search for full text articles among the hundreds of scholarly philosophy journals in JSTOR.

Religion and Philosophy (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
Magazines and academic journals covering religion and the related areas of philosophy, archaeology and anthropology.
PhilPapers This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive index of over 1,000 journals within the discipline of philosophy. This index provides access to books, articles, and open access archives.

Article Sources

Description

Magazines, journals, and newspapers, are types of "periodicals" - as in, they are published periodically throughout the year. There are many different intended audiences.
- Magazines are generally intended for a broader, public audience.
  - Examples: Scientific American, Vogue, and The Atlantic.
- Journals are often intended for a scholarly audience (scholars, academics, researchers, etc.) Many articles in these journals go through a rigorous publishing process called peer-review: they are written by an academic, submitted to the journal, and then circulated to experts in the field for checking before being published.
  - Examples: New England Journal of Medicine, The William and Mary Quarterly.
- Newspapers are usually written for a broader, public audience. They share the news of the day.
  - Examples: The New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle.

What do they contain?

Articles

How often are these sources published?

Magazines - usually monthly & quarterly (seasonally)
Journals - less frequently; can be monthly, but more likely quarterly
Newspapers - usually daily

Found in:

OneSearch - Periodicals
Easily locate CCSF subscribed periodicals (newspapers, journals, and magazines) in this particular view of OneSearch.
Journal Browse (BrowZine)
A clickable view of scholarly journals subscribed to by the CCSF Library.

Flipster This link opens in a new window
Easy-to-use digital magazine platform with People, National Geographic, and Archaeology. Pilot subscription runs through end of June 2025.
America's News This link opens in a new window
Features national, regional and local news content that delivers diverse perspectives on practically any issue, event or person as covered by the U.S. news media. With current content and archives back to the 1980s from more than 3,700 sources. Includes the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner. Hot Topics can be browsed as well.
US Major Dailies This link opens in a new window
Provides access to The New York Times (1980-present), Washington Post (1988-present), Los Angeles Times (1985-present), Chicago Tribune (1985-present), and the Wall Street Journal (1984-present). Available by 8 AM U.S. Eastern time each day. Supplemental website content from these publications may not be included in this text based resource.

Search Strategies

Digital searching can work well when you combine your search words with "Boolean" connectors.

Boolean Connector	What does it do?
AND	narrows the results of a search, though without this operator, the AND is usually implied. This searches only for items containing both search terms. Example: health disparities AND urban
OR	expands or broadens the results of a search. This searches for either term, thus widening the possibilities. This is helpful when searching using synonyms. ("OR is more.") Example search string: genetically modified OR transgenic OR GMO
NOT	excludes specific terms that may be clouding your result set with irrelevant results not related to your topic. This is helpful when trying to remove some results. Example: nutrition NOT diet

Other strategies:

Identify key concepts. Include the useful or relevant keywords in your search, as well as synonyms, rather than a full question.
Use "Filters" to limit your source type, time period, and location.
Need "scholarly" articles? Use the "Peer-Reviewed Journals" filter.