ENG 1001: Principles of Writing

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Guides

Childs, G.K. (Ed.). (2003). Dictionary of historic documents. New York: Facts on File, Inc.
Brief entries for "significant works of public record" related to politics, law, economics, philosophy, and religion. Includes a selective bibliography (arranged by subject) and a timetable of documents.
Reference D9 .D525 2003

Craig, E. (Ed.). (1998). Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. New York: Routledge.
Informative essays written by experts in the field on all aspects of philosophy.  Articles include bibliographies and are signed.
Reference B51 .R68 1998 v. 1-10
Available through the Philosophy database list as well.

Cua, A.S. (Ed.). (2002). Encyclopedia of Chinese philosophy. New York: Routledge.
Covers the major periods of Chinese philosophy with entries on the "major thinkers from Confucius to Mou Zongsan." Each entry includes cross-references and a brief bibliography.
Reference B126 .E496 2002

DeLon, M. (Ed.). (2001). Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.
Alphabetical entries on major persons, institutions, and ideas of the European Enlightenment. Each entry is cross-references and includes a short bibliography.
Reference B802 .E55 2001 v. 1-2

Eatwell, J. (Ed.). (1987). The new Palgrave: A dictionary of economics. New York: Stocton Press.
Authoritative articles on economic theories as well as on economists.  Entries include bibliographies and selected works.
Reference HB61 .N49 1987 v. 1-4

Garraty, J.A. & Carnes, M.C. (Eds.). (1999). American national biography. New York: Oxford University Press.
This multi-volume set focuses on the "significant actions" of persons who resided within the United States and directly influenced American history.  Arranged alphabetically, each entry gives a chronological depiction of the significant events in a person's life.  All entries are signed and have a brief descriptive bibliography.
Reference CT213 .A68 1999 v. 1-24

Horowitz, M.C. (Ed.). (2005). New dictionary of the history of ideas. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
This six-volume set updates the 1973 Dictionary of the history of ideas and includes more entries of current interest. Articles focus on ideas such as a wide variety of subjects such as feminism, totalitarianism, civil rights, etc. All articles are written by experts in their fields. See Volume I for a list of entries and Volume VI for a comprehensive index.
Reference CB9 .N49 v. 1-6
Brookhaven Reference CB9 .N49 v. 1-6

McGreal, I.P. (Ed.). (1995). Great thinkers of the eastern world: The great thinkers and the philosophical and religious classics of China, India, Japan, Korea, and the World of Islam. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Informative essays which include brief biographical information, a listing of major works, summary statements of philosophers' major theories, and a "further reading" section.  Of particular interest is the way in which the author has tried to place the different theories within their cultural contexts.
Reference B5005 .G74 1995

Kersey, E.M. (1989). Women philosophers: A bio-critical source book. New York: Greenwood Press.
Brief biographical essays include information on education, works by, and works about a particular philosopher, as well as an overview of her theories.
Reference B105 .W6 K47 1989

Wiener, P.P. (Ed.). (1973). Dictionary of the history of ideas: Studies of selected pivotal ideals. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
A classic in the field, this dictionary focuses on how ideas influence our lives both culturally and historically.  It aims to "establish some sense of the unity of human thought and its cultural manifestations in a world of ever-increasing specialization and alienation."  Volume 1 contains an analytical table of contents as well as a list of articles.  The articles are written by experts in their field and end with bibliographies as well as references to other related articles within the dictionary.
Reference CB5 .D52 v. 1-4
Brookhaven Reference CB5 .D52 v. 1-4

Zeyl, D.J. (Ed). (1997). Encyclopedia of classical philosophy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Discussion and criticism of classical philosophers' theories and works presented alphabetically.  Each entry also includes a brief bibliography.
Reference B163 .E53 1997

Periodicals

Consult the Journal Locator for online availability of these journals:

American Philosophical Quarterly
Behavior and Philosophy
Educational Theory
Journal of American and Comparative Culture
The Journal of Philosophy
Journal of the History of Philosophy
The Philosophical Quarterly

Books in the Circulating Collection

Perform a subject search in the Dowling Library Catalog to find books and criticism on a particular person.  Be sure to enter the person's name in the following format: last name, first name.  The links below are for philosophers whose entries do not follow the standard format.

Beauvoir, Simone de
Lao-Tzu

Help With Your Assignment

To find all the information on your topic that you may need, you should locate information in books and encyclopedias as well as journals.   Books will give you good in-depth coverage of a topic, while encyclopedias will give you an introduction and overview.

1. Use the encyclopedias listed above for an overview.
2. Locate books in the Dowling Library Catalog
3. Use the databases to find current insight into your topic. The following are particularly useful for this assignment:
   1. Biography Resource Center - Biographical information on a person.
   2. Academic Search Elite - Recent journal articles on a topic.
   3. InfoTrac OneFile - Recent journal articles on a topic.
   4. Literature Resource Center - Biographical and critical information as well as an overview of their work.
   5. Twayne's Author Series - Author criticism.