While Google may be a useful database for general information, it is not nearly as helpful in academic study, where only about 20% of the resources you need are actually available in full text. Instead, the library has databases that not only provide the academic resources you need, and they are much more sophisticated than Google.  The information on this page (some of it adapted from MCOM 191, an online course in research skills) will introduce you to Library OneSearch and to databases in philosophy.

(Open to full screen)

It is possible, through OneSearch, to search just for books, either by selecting the Books tab on the main OneSearch page or by using Search Everything and then selecting for books on the results page. The following video illustrates the second option, showing you how to select for books, print books only, or e-books only.

Note that books tend to cover topics more broadly than articles, so you may have to find books that only have a chapter or two directly on your issue. Try to find books that as narrowly as possible deal with your question.

Expand to full screen:

You can select the Journals/Articles search for articles on the Library OneSearch main page, or you can use Search Everything and then select for articles on the results page. The following video looks at the second option.

Journal articles are important for most kinds of academic research. With OneSearch, you can limit to scholarly/peer reviewed articles only and focus the results to the most relevant by choosing one or more subject terms. You can also download full text for many of the items found, and you can create citations in the format of your choice. This video shows you how:

Philosopher's Index is our main individual database for philosophy. It searches much like Library OneSearch, though not all results will have full text available. The following tutorial shows how to find and use it.

• Philosopher's Index with Full Text (EBSCOhost)