W&L

University Library

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Books are great for getting a broad overview on a topic. Much of the information in books, particularly in STEM areas, is much more outdated than that found in journal articles, but using books can help you in the following ways:

  1. You can learn the "language" of your topic, i.e., the most common terms, ideas, and turns of phrase. This will help with your searching.
  2. You may determine who the important scholars are in the field.
  3. You will have a baseline of information to work with as you do your searching for more current journal articles.

Remember, it takes many year to get a STEM book written, published, and on the library's physical or virtual shelf.