Secondary Sources

What is a journal article?

A journal is a type of periodical.

Periodicals are publications that are provided on a regular basis (ie: annually, quarterly, weekly, daily).

There are two major types of periodical publications: scholarly and popular.
It is important to be aware of the differences between them before you search for articles in databases. Academic journals include scholarly articles by researchers. Newspapers and magazines are popular press titles.

Information and Publications (U of A Libraries Tutorials)

Peer Review

Many scholarly journal articles are subject to peer review.

Before they are published, articles that are peer reviewed or refereed are read and critiqued by other philosophers.

Search in Ulrich's to find out whether a journal is peer reviewed.

Philosophy Databases - Find articles

Philosophy Databases:

Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
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Major index to philosophy journals and books chapters 1940-present
Topics include all major fields of philosophy, including Aesthetics, Epistemology, Ethics, Logic (including mathematics), Metaphysics (including philosophy of mind, existentialism, and phenomenology), Political philosophy (including philosophy of law), Social philosophy, and the Philosophy of Education, History, Language, Science and Religion.
PhilPapers: Philosophical Research Online This link opens in a new window An online research hub in philosophy that combines the following four services: 1) An index of philosophy literature in multiple languages. 2) An open access aggregator that indexes content found on over 1K open access archives and 3K personal pages maintained by professional philosophers. 3) An OA archive that hosts the largest collection of open access philosophical material on the web. 4) A structured bibliography covering all subjects in philosophy.
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EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) This link opens in a new window
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Searches the contents of the Library catalogue and 300+ article databases, including Philosopher's Index.
L'Annee philologique This link opens in a new window
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Bibliography of classical literature & modern scholarship on classical literature
International Philosophical Bibliography This link opens in a new window
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Multilingual index of Articles & book chapters with a focus on history of philosophy & continental philosophy

PhilSci Archive
Online archive for preprints in the philosophy of science
China Academic Journals Fulltext Database: Series F: Literature, History, Philosophy
Fulltext from journals and other Chinese publications. To search, please select either "China Academic Journals Full-text Database" or "Century Journals Project".
Euporia Euporia is a platform aimed to foster the searchability and discoverability of Open Access philosophical resources and scholarly contributions on topics related to the philosophy of Open Science, digital culture and research ethics. Euporia pursues a twofold goal: to stimulate the use of Open Access philosophical literature and to intensify a critical discussion on Open Science and the impact of digitality on contemporary culture. Therefore the blog is intended to be a portal presenting, on the one hand, all the available Open Access primary and secondary literature in philosophy, and on the other hand all relevant contributions to the philosophy of Open Science, the philosophy of digital culture and research ethics. The ancient greek word euporia (εὐπορία), according to the LSJ Lexicon, means “ease, facility, of doing a thing” and, as opposed to poverty, “plenty, abundance”. In the philosophical tradition, it was also used in opposition to aporia (ἀπορία), as “solution of doubts or difficulties”. Euporos is the person “full of resources or devices, ingenious, inventive”. Last, but not least, we liked the random assonance with the word euphoria.
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An Open Access philosophical resource with scholarly contributions.

MathSciNet This link opens in a new window MathSciNet is the searchable database providing access to Mathematical Reviews and Current Mathematical Publications from 1940 to the present. It provides subject access to journals and conferences publishing in all areas of mathematical sciences, including Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science as well as mathematically related research in Physics, operations research, Engineering, Biology and other disciplines.
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In the the discipline of Philosophy, journal articles are secondary sources. They are analyses and discussions of philosophical texts and concepts written by researchers from differing perspectives. Each article contributes to the ongoing discussion within the discipline.

When starting the study of Philosophy, you should consult Background Information sources, such as Encyclopedias and Handbooks to create the context you need to engage with the analyses provided in publications such as journal articles.

How to find journal articles on your topic

Not all databases are the same:

→some are full text: articles can be read online and printed, emailed, or saved

→some contain a mix of citations and full text

→some contain only citations

When the full text of your article is not linked in the database, click on

If Get It links are not included for citations, look up the title of the journal or book that you need in the Library Catalogue.
→ Ask Us for help.