Academic Writing

Reference materials are designed to help you get started on your research and to give you a better understanding of a topic​. Types of reference materials include: 

• General – A single or multivolume work covering many topics without great detail or depth

• Specialized – A single or multivolume work focusing on a particular topic, culture, time period, event, etc., providing more in-depth coverage of their subject matter

• Scholarly/peer-reviewed – Written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. Generally, these go through a review process before being published

Examples of Reference Materials

• Handbooks – Provide concise, factual information on a subject ​

• Dictionaries – Contain brief explanatory entries of terms​

• Encyclopedias – Authoritative summary of information​

• Atlases – Highlight how geography relates to the topic

Locating Research Material

• Search for the [Reference Material] AND [Topic] here: Start Here  
  Examples: 
  • Handbook AND Bible
  • Dictionary AND Medicine
  • Encyclopedia AND Music

Narrow Down Your Topic

Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow down your topic. Here are some questions you can use for narrowing and defining your topic:

• Is there a specific aspect of the topic you can focus on?
  • Example: Family Therapy AND Adoption
• Is there a cause-and-effect relationship you can explore?
• Are there multiple perspectives that can be explored? 
• Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
• Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people? 

  ---

Refine Your Topic

• How to Narrow your topic