Why Books?
Books can be a great resource for research projects because they:
- provide comprehensive coverage of a topic;
- can help you understand concepts, theories and ideas;
- put your topic in context with other issues; and
- discuss big ideas or issues.
A book does not need to be read cover to cover for research; you can often use small sections or chapters as sources. Here are some tips for using books for research:
- Find relevant sections: Use the book's table of contents or index to find sections that are most relevant to your research.
- Look for recent publications: For the most up-to-date information, look for books with recent publication dates.
- Be cautious of unedited books: Books are often not peer reviewed, so read unedited books (those without an editor listed on the cover page) with caution.
- Look for books published by university presses: These books are reviewed by an editorial board and outside reviewers.
- Use books to understand academic articles: Reading from books can make it easier to understand academic articles on the topic.
