Bonus Source: Reference Books
Special type of book
Reference Books are specific types of books that can be useful to your research. Reference books can be general, such as the Encyclopedia Americana or Webster's Dictionary, or focused on a specific subject, such as The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture or Black's Law Dictionary.
Types of reference books include:
- encyclopedias
- handbooks
- dictionaries
- manuals
- statistical sources
Use Reference Books
- to get background information on an issue or topic
- to get statistical information
- to quickly scan a topic for keywords
- as learning aids (dictionaries, thesauri, etc.)
- to get leads to other sources (bibliographies)
Best Tools for Finding Reference Books
- Use your library's book catalog to find reference books in your library.
- Check your library's databases for online reference books.