How to Choose a Good Reference Book
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Although it may be hard to believe, not everything can be found in Google and wikiPedia. In fact, some forms of information are only available in print. This means that sometimes, in order to find what you need, you have to turn to a reference book.
Steps
- Walk into a bookstore or library[1] with a specific ideal in mind. This ideal should be based around exactly how detailed you want the book to be. Do you want it general and simple (a general overview of globalization, a definition of a computer term etc.)? Or are you searching for a more verbose manuscript (The Encyclopedia of Internal Medicine, Complete History of China, etc.)? Once you've decided on the level of detail you are looking for, you may move on to the next step.
- Do a keyword search of your library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and/or a website such as amazon.com to see if you can find a resource that matches your needs. Additionally, the Online Computer Library Consortium's WorldCat[2] can help you search for books at a library near you (including reference sources).
- Perform "foot patrol" of the reference shelves. Browse around and see if you can find what you want. In libraries, it helps to have a general idea of the classification systems used (Library of Congress, Dewey Decimal etc.). If you can't find what you want during your "foot patrol", ask a librarian or bookstore employee.
- Begin from the end. Go directly to the index of a book that looks sufficient along the lines of the topic you're interested in -- ignore the fancy cover and how many pretty pictures it might have. What truly defines a good reference book is its rear.
- Think up a few questions that you know the answer to. Ask the book these questions. (Not literally or you'll get some strange looks from other customers and possibly be asked to leave when you get angry because the book won't answer you directly.) Scan the index for the answers and follow it through the book.
- Read the passages and decide for yourself whether it seems knowledgeable or if it's too vague on the topic(s). Ideally, chances are if it couldn't answer something you already knew, it won't be able to answer any of the other questions you will eventually have.
Tips
- If you decide to use the library to find reference materials, ask a librarian for help.
- Before starting with the index, you may want to look at the introduction for a reference book (if there is one). An introduction will usually tell you the kind of material covered in that book. It can also be a clue as to what the book's biases are-- things that you might not be able to tell from looking at one or two entries. For example, the book may only cover things from a Western point of view.
- Take advantage of bibliographies. A good reference book will have bibliographies for its entries. Use the materials mentioned in the bibliography to further your research.
Warnings
- Don't believe everything you read. The nature of a good student is derived from skepticism and ultimately this is what reference books are for, distilling fact from filler and expressing knowledge where there was little to begin with.
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Sources and Citations
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