VIC171Y: Methodology, Theory & Practice in the Natural Sciences

Conducting Research in the Philosophy of Science

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
An online dictionary that you can consult for concise, authoritative definitions of unfamiliar names and terms in the field of philosophy.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
A peer-reviewed online encyclopedia including nearly all areas of philosophy. It is a great place to begin your research and develop background knowledge of a particular philosopher or philosophical position.

Each entry has an extensive bibliography with recommended resources for further reading and potential sources for your essay.

Oxford Bibliographies: Philosophy
A bibliography is a list of the books of an author or publisher, or on a specific subject. Oxford Bibliographies, compiled by scholars and librarians, contain extensive lists of annotated titles on many topics within the study of the philosophy of science. It is a great way to find authoritative sources on your topic.

Each subject contains an extensive introduction (which provides an overview of the topic) as well as a list of annotated titles of books, arranged by category.

Philosopher’s Index
The most current and comprehensive bibliography of scholarly research in philosophy. It is a great place to search for book chapters and articles when doing more in-depth research.

You can use it to find books and articles that have been written on a specific topic, or to see all the work done by a particular author.

LibrarySearch
A single integrated search platform for books, articles, periodicals, primary sources, and other materials.

It provides links to full texts of ebooks, journal articles, and book reviews (which can help you assess the relevance and quality of a particular title to the topic of your research).

Additional Research Resources

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Science
A reference source containing broad overviews of the main lines of research and the state of established knowledge in six principal areas of the discipline, including physical sciences, as well as general philosophy of science

It also covers the traditional topics in the philosophy of science, such as causation, probability, models, ethics and values, and explanation, in addition to new areas of research in the discipline.

Research Resources for Philosophy
Other major online resources in the field of philosophy (such as journal databases) are listed on the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) website.

APA Citation & Style Guides

APA (American Psychological Association)

• online: APA Formatting and Style Guide, Purdue University
• print: BF76.7 .P83 2020.

Research Advice

Online Reference Service

Research support service is available via the University of Toronto Libraries’ virtual reference service, Ask a Librarian. It is open in the evenings and weekends.

Email Inquiries

Basic questions related to navigating the libraries (such as locating a particular book title in the catalogue) can be sent via email (please keep your message brief).

Please use your @mail.utoronto.ca account, identifying the course (VIC171Y) in the subject line.

We aim to respond to messages within twenty-four hours, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (please note we do not check our email accounts in the evenings or on the weekends).

Research Consultations

agatha [dot] barc [at] vicu [dot] utoronto [dot] ca (subject: VIC171Y%20Request%20for%20a%20Research%20Consultation) (Agatha Barc) and colin [dot] deinhardt [at] vicu [dot] utoronto [dot] ca (subject: VIC171Y%20Request%20for%20a%20Research%20Consultation) (Colin Deinhardt) (Reader Services and Instruction Librarians, Victoria University Library) are available to meet either in-person or online to provide advice related to locating relevant sources on your chosen topic.

Consultations take place Monday to Friday, between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm. An advanced notice is required to request an appointment (excluding weekends and holidays).

We recommend requesting an appointment as soon as you begin the work on completing your assignment. 

Before requesting a consultation with the librarian, please complete the following:

• identify a topic of research: it should be well-refined
• conduct preliminary research using the resources outlined in this guide, and
• locate at least one scholarly source (such as a book or journal article) that is relevant to your chosen subject.

Please be prepared to discuss your findings with the librarian during a research consultation.