Library Essentials: Material from your reading list

Understanding your reading list

Reading lists can be found in your module descriptor, handbook or programme document. Your lecturer may also give you a reading list.

Reading lists usually contain two sections:

• Essential readings. This is a list of material you are required to read in order to successfully complete the module.
• Supplemental readings. Also known as recommended reading, these contain material that can help you to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. You are not required to read all of the supplemental readings.

Within each section you may see a number of different types of resources such as textbooks, edited books, ebooks, journals or other online resources. For a brief outline of how to recognise different resources, please see the examples below.

Each item on your reading list is presented as a citation. In the context of your reading list, the citation is the address of the resource. In other words it provides details like author, title, etc. which allow you to locate the resource. You will learn more about the importance of citations as you progress through university.

Textbook citations include the following details. If you would like to find a textbook in the library collection use the author or title details to search the library catalogue.

eBook citations contain similar details to a printed book (below) but also include a direct link to the book. The quickest way to access an eBook is to use the link provided on your reading list. However, you can search specifically for an eBook using the author or title details, and the advanced search feature on the library catalogue.

Chapter in an edited book: Academic textbooks can contain a collection of chapters written by different authors. In this case, the author of the chapter and the chapter title will appear first in the citation. However, to search for the book in the library, use the book editor (K.B. Jensen in the example below) or book title ( A handbook of media and communication research) to search the catalogue.

Journals are a source of high quality academic information. They can be written by academics, researchers or practitioners. They have a type of quality mark called "peer review" and often specialise in a specific subject. Like books, journals can be print, electronic or occasionally both. On your reading list, citations for electronic journals usually include a link or DOI (Digital Object Identifier) that will take you directly to the article. To find a print journal or to browse for articles within a specific journal, use the journal title (Journal of Marketing, as shown below) to search the library catalogue.

Please Note

You will need your TU Dublin IS password to access eBooks, e-journals and other e-resources on and off campus.