Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that synthesize information on a topic.
Authors are:
scholars in the field, academics or researchers.
Sources are:
always cited with many references and/or footnotes.
Books are:
long and in-depth research
Books are:
sometimes edited, with multiple authors, look for university presses for scholarly books.
Use WPI Library Search to find books at WPI. When searching for books using WPI Library Search, enter your keywords. On the search results page, go to the "Resource Type" filter on the left and select "Books."
Hardcopy or physical books are located on shelves in the Library called "stacks." Books are then shelved according to their Library of Congress call numbers. You can find the call number for a book in WPI Library Search.
Electronic books (eBooks) are accessed through links in WPI Library Search.
A powerful search tool to streamline your library research. Entering terms into a single search box yields results that include: books and e-books, research and news articles, project reports, electronic theses and dissertations, archival materials, patents, open access collections and more.
Hardcopy books are located in the Library's stacks. The books are then located by their Library of Congress call number. Electronic books (eBooks) are accessed by clicking on the "web link - Connect to e-Book" link within the eBook's library catalog record.
Example hardcopy book reference citation in American Psychological Association (APA) style:
Lyons, K. L. (2015). A roadmap to green supply chains: Using supply chain archaeology and big data analytics. Industrial Press.
Example electronic book reference citation in American Psychological Association (APA) style:
Atkinson, H. (2015). The challenge of sustainability: Linking politics, education and learning. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1t894qh
For information on additional citation styles, please see the Citing Sources guide.