This page is intended to give pointers to new students in the HPS Department in finding materials to help them with their research and essay writing.
The first section includes links to useful guides on the HPS website that you might have otherwise missed. The second section includes links to online resources, broken down into the relevant subject area.
The final section is information about the HPS-related resources that are in Cambridge, at other college and department libraries, often in special collections.
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Writing, Researching and Referencing
Writing Guides
The HPS Department website has helpful advice on writing essays and preparing for and taking exams. One page is intended for Part II students which Part IB students may also find valuable, and there are pages for Part III and MPhil students as well:
Research Guide
The HPS website also maintains a list of guides to writing, researching, essay topics and more, written by members of the Department both past and present.
Referencing Guide
Referencing is a common difficulty for many students. The HPS Department website offers a page with links and guidance on referencing your essays:
HPS Resources Online
Below is a collection of links to useful resources for students in the department conducting research in HPS.
General
The HPS LibGuide is a useful introduction to library resources and research, and covers online resources as well as other print resources in Cambridge.
Google Scholar is an extremely useful search engine for finding key papers about a topic, as well as searching for other papers that have cited them for further reading.
Philosophy of Science
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is a free-to-access online encyclopedia of philosophy written at an academic level. It is an excellent place to begin more in-depth research into a particular topic.
PhilPapers is an index and bibliography of Philosophy papers that is maintained by the Philosophy community. It is useful for finding key papers as well as finding further material on a particular topic.
History of Science
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) is a very useful source of information about the lives of key British figures.
HPS Resources in Cambridge
The directory linked below contains information about many of the HPS-related special collections held at other libraries in Cambridge. The directory can be organised by library, subject, or by name.
In addition, the document below, collated by Peter Jones, lists Medieval and Early Modern manuscript and archive resources across Cambridge.