Library:Library Research Skills For Biologists/Module 03A/Page 04

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Reference Books as a starting point in research

When your professor or TA says, "Don't use encyclopaedias to write your paper," what they mean is that they want you to focus on using primary (journal articles) and secondary (books) literature to write your assignment. However, reference books can still occupy a very useful place in your research process. A reference book is a good place to begin your research when you know very little about a topic. You will probably not cite the encyclopaedia or dictionary but in may provide that small piece of information to get you going on your topic. For example, if I need to find information on the organism Balanus, where am I going to look? Should I look in a book about whales, or what about a book about round bacteria that live in the soil? Neither! By consulting a reference book first, I can figure out that Balanus is the scientific name for barnacles, sessile crustaceans that live in the ocean There might even be a picture of the organism; This information will help me when I start to look for more information in books or journal articles. Here are some examples of reference books you may end up consulting: Green ethics and philosophy: An A-Z guide. (2011) Green food: An A-Z guide. (2011) Encyclopedia of Global Studies (2012)

Finding Reference Books in Summon

You can find reference books by using Summon. After typing your keywords and searching, you limit your results in Summon to just reference books. Under Content Type, click on More..., then select Reference.