Scholarly books can be an important source of information for your literature review. Although the most recent research tends to be published as peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books often expand on and synthesize this research and can present important conclusions about it. In addition to the book-length study, important dissertations may be published as books. Another popular format is a book of essays by various contributors, built around a common theme or as conference proceedings. Identifying scholarly books is not as easy as checking off a "peer-reviewed" box in an article database. Look for the credentials of the author(s), the publisher (usually, but not invariably, an academic or university press), and the general academic style of writing and documentation.
Find Books option provides one-stop searching for books and e-books, journal articles, DVDs, and more. The search box in the widget above allows you to directly search for materials found in what was previously called the Library Catalog.
The video below provides a brief introduction on how to use the new Search to find books and e-books in the USC Upstate library collection.
If you don't find what you want at USC Upstate, try these other resources.
