Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy / Edited by Edward N. Zalta. Palo Alto, CA. : Stanford University Center for the Study of Language and Information, 1997.http://plato.stanford.edu/
This Web encyclopedia constantly changes with the addition of new entries and the modification of existing entries. Consequently, you can expect the entries in this encyclopedia to be responsive to new research. The entries are evaluated by an Editorial Board.

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics / San Diego : Academic Press, 1988. 4 volumes.
This work addresses the field of applied ethics. Applied ethics is the study of ethics in the context of scientific, social, medical, or legal issues. The encyclopedia includes 281 full-length signed articles with cross-references. Each article contains a bibliography. The index is located at the back of the fourth volume.

Encyclopedia of Bioethics / New York : Free Press, 1978. 4 volumes.
This work contains alphabetical articles on a variety of subjects within bioethics. There is an index in the back, and also a systematic classification of articles according to broad subject matter. At the end of the encyclopedia there is a references section; there is also a bibliography at the end of each article. The entries are clearly written and contain non-technical language. This is a basic source for background information and references in the field of bioethics.

Encyclopedia of Ethics / New York : Garland Publishing, 1992. 2 volumes.
This is an encyclopedia with medium-length signed articles on a variety of topics within the field of ethics. Each article includes a bibliography. There is a comprehensive index at the end of volume 2, and also an index of the bibliographies cited to in the book.

Encyclopedia of Philosophy / New York : McHillan, 1967, 1972. 8 volumes.
This is a basic work in the field of philosophy. It contains comprehensive, signed articles on concepts, terms, and major thinkers. This work is good for background information and as a place to start research, since it contains lists of readings for each entry. In articles about philosophers, the bibliography lists works by that person, as well as works about the thinker.

Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics / edited by James Hastings, John A. Selbie and Louis H. Gray. Edinburgh, New York, T. & T. Clark; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1960. Reprint of the original edition, published 1908-27. 13 volumes.
This encyclopedia is a major work in the area of ethics and religion. It contains signed articles, many of them long. References are contained in footnotes at the bottom of each page. The index is very detailed and comprehensive.

Dictionary of the History of Ideas : Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas / Edited by Philip P. Weiner. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968, 1973. 4 volumes.
Contains articles and entries on major topics in philosophy and ideas. This work has clear, non-technical, signed articles that are a good starting place for background knowledge. The cross-references and bibliography are at the end of each article.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy / general editor, Edward Craig. London ; New York : Routledge, 1998. 10 volumes. Also available in CD-ROM.
This encyclopedia was an ambitious undertaking. An entirely new work, it is the first major encyclopedia of philosophy in 30 years. The encyclopedia contains nearly 2,000 entries. Non-western coverage is quite extensive, with over 400 entries on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Tibetan, Jewish, Arabit, Islamic, Russian, Latin American, and African philosophy. The levels varry from undergraduate to graduate. Some of the articles use symbols. The entries are signed, and annotated references are found after each article. Volume 10 consists of the index, which is very well cross-referenced.

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Last updated August 30, 2001