Introduction

The bibliography officially counts four numbers per year, but such numbers are grouped two by two issues per year. Each issue lists books and articles. Each also includes an index of book reviews, an index of names, and a list of collective works indexed. 

This bibliography aims at listing purely philosophical publications. Therefore scientific disciplines related to philosophy and auxiliary sciences of philosophy are not included; the increasing volume of this type of publications, plus the availability of specific bibliographical tools specialized for such disciplines and auxiliary disciplines prevents their inclusion in the bibliography. Only publications relating to methods or to philosophy of the various sciences, as well as publications of a general nature treating of their objects are listed. This rule applies particularly to the following disciplines: symbolic logic, linguistics, psychology, aesthetics and theology. 

In principle, the bibliography only lists philosophical publications in the following languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Catalan, as well as Classical Greek and Latin (text editions). Publications in other languages might be listed when they include a summary in one of the languages mentioned above.

All articles published in journals, the list of wich is given in the first issue of each year (Periodicals indexed) are listed in the bibliography. Philosophical articles of wich we are aware, but published  in other journals not included in the official list will also be mentioned. We also include papers published in collective works listed in each issue.

IBP's plan contains a historical and a systematic part. 

1. The historical part (entitled History of Philosophy) brings togheter all the studies that deal with the person or the work of a philosopher, even if he or she is still alive, and, as a general rule, every posthumous publication.

2. The systematic part (entitled Philosophy), contains different headings that correspond for the most part  to the various philosophical disciplines.