What is a reference source?
A reference source summarizes and synthesizes secondary sources such as books and scholarly articles. Typically, a reference source does not contain original research. These sources provide important background and contextual information on your subject.
Why should I use a reference source?
You should use this type of source to help narrow your research topic, find data to support your thesis, and identify keywords and main ideas to use as search terms.
What are some examples of reference sources?
Reference sources generally include bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks.
Literature reviews, synthesizing the vast amount of primary research literature and identifying the principal contributions
High-level overviews of scholarship written by top names in the field get researchers and faculty up to speed quickly on topics beyond an area of expertise.