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Philosophy

This guide is meant to be a starting point for undergraduate philosophy research and to serve as a clearinghouse for philosophy reference materials available at MSMU.

Organize Your Sources & Citations 


PRO TIP

Organizing your sources from the beginning as you collect them, can SAVE A LOT OF STRESS later when you need to start writing or create an annotated bibliography!

Citation management programs such as Zotero can help you create, gather, store, and organize citations.

Create a free account and get started today!


​Zotero​
Zotero is a free and open-source program that anyone can use, therefore, you will retain access to it even after graduation!

  1. Download Zotero Desktop App as a standalone program that works with Windows, Mac, or Linux systems.
  2. Download a Zotero Browser Extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge. For most databases and websites, citation information can be saved with just a few clicks
  3. Download a Zotero Word Processor Plugin for Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc. You can download an extension for Microsoft Word or your preferred word processor, that will allow you to drag records in Zotero into your Word document to instantly create citations in formats like MLA and APA.

For more info about using Zotero check out this guide from CSU Dominguez Hills. 

Zotero

Modern Language Association (MLA)


The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides a method for source documentation that is used in most humanities courses. The humanities place emphasis on authorship, so most MLA citations involve recording the author’s name in the physical text. The author’s name is also the first to appear on the “Works Cited” page at the end of an essay.

Quick reference and examples can be found below in these guides created by several other universities:

Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) & Turabian


The Chicago Manual of Style includes 2 documentation styles: the Notes-Bibliography System (NB), used by those in literature, history, and the arts, and the Author-Date System, which is similar in content, slightly different in form, and preferred in the social sciences.

In addition to consulting The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.) for more information, students may also find it useful to consult Kate L. Turabian's Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations  (8th ed.). Often called the "Turabian" style, it resembles the two patterns of documentation but includes alterations geared to papers written by students.

Quick reference and examples can be found below in these guides created by several other universities:

Avoid Plagiarism - Use Quotes and Paraphrase!


Researching, arguing a position, laying the foundation for scientific experiments, and all other academic pursuits begin with studying the work of others and using this work to inform our own. It is absolutely crucial to give credit to those whose work you use, and this is done using direct quotations and paraphrasing and by always citing your sources. Not to do so would be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are treated as extremely serious violations of ethical conduct and may result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

A quote is the exact wording used by the original author.

Example:

  • "The primary reason we sentence individuals to jail or prison is to punish them for the criminal offense(s) they have committed against society." (Bayley 2010)

Paraphrasing is rewriting another's words or ideas in your own words, often summarizing or synthesizing a larger text.

Example:

  • Bayley argues that prison should be thought of as a punishment, and not a deterrent for others not to commit a crime. (2010) 

 

For more information view these guides on quoting and avoiding plagiarism: 

Annotated Bibliographies


An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive or evaluative paragraph called the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

More on Citations 


Visit the guide below for more help with:

  • reading citations
  • organizing your sources
  • creating annotated bibliographies
  • avoiding plagiarism