Department of Philosophy - University of Missouri-Columbia

For help with research in philosophy

  • The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a superb source that meets the highest academic standards, though it goes into much more depth than most undergraduates will need.
  • A more digestible source that is still on the whole very reliable is the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  • If you want to search the literature in philosophy by topic or author or keyword, then the standard resource is the Philosophers' Index, accessible from here.
  • All philosophy journals that Ellis Library carries can be accessed from here.
  • Another great source for journal articles, though not those published within about the past five years, is JSTOR, accessible from here.
  • For books, don't forget Ellis Library, which can also obtain books held by other libraries around the state and nation.

For help with writing philosophy papers

Here are some online resources:

The Philosophy Department (in 433 Strickland Hall) also has a small library of guidebooks for philosophy students that you are welcome to consult (but please do not take them out of the building). Some of the titles are:

  • Michael Harvey, The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing.
  • Zachary Seech, Writing Philosophy Papers (5th edition).
  • Nigel Warburton, Philosophy: The Essential Study Guide.
  • A.P. Martinich, Philosophical Writing: An Introduction.
  • Hugo Bedau, Thinking and Writing about Philosophy.
  • Douglas Soccio, How to Get the Most Out of Philosophy.
  • Anne Edwards, Writing to Learn: An Introduction to Writing Philosophical Essays.

For advice on applying to graduate school in philosophy

Your first stop should be the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who will be able to give you much valuable advice, but you should also discuss the matter with all the philosophy professors who know you best. The Philosophical Gourmet Report, by Brian Leiter of the University of Chicago, is a reputational ranking of graduate programs in philosophy in the US, Canada, and elsewhere. It is controversial, however, for a variety of reasons, and should be used with caution (as Leiter himself advises), but is still indispensable.

If you have any questions,