Writing A Research Paper

Books

• Books provide detailed histories, insights, and analysis of topics and events. However, they may not be up to date with the latest trends and research.  

• There are two ways to get books through Pepperdine.

  • The first is through our catalog.

  • The second is through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

• Pepperdine Libraries provide access to thousands of e-books, spanning all subject areas. Check out our guide on e-books: http://infoguides.pepperdine.edu/ebooks, which covers Pepperdine's major e-book providers. You can search for e-books using the Library Catalog or on the providers' websites. The guide also includes an e-book search bar to search for e-books in the catalog specifically.

When searching for books, there are a couple of useful strategies to start with:

1. If you already have a relevant book or article in hand, use its bibliography to help find other sources.

2. Use the "More like this" link to find other books within your subject area.

3. Think of synonyms or variations on spelling and try an OR search:

For some literary research, it's essential to track a particular author whose name may have varied throughout his/her lifetime or publication history. In these cases, pay attention to cross-references in the catalog when you do an Author or Subject search for a name. Keep all name variants in mind when you search for other catalogs and databases to ensure that you are finding all relevant resources.