Guide to textbooks and monographs

Textbooks may look intimidatingly large. However, they are an important learning resource.

• Textbooks are written to provide a broad overview of a subject (e.g. accounting or human resources management). For this reason, textbooks should be used as soon as you start a new topic or module.
• Textbooks are written by recognised specialists in their field. For this reason, they are a reliable source of foundational knowledge.
• Good textbooks aim to present the current state of a field of knowledge in a balanced manner. Biases can never be completely excluded, but good textbooks should indicate the important points of disagreement among different researchers and practitioners.
• Textbooks are also a good source of specialist vocabulary (or professional terminology). Using this vocabulary in searching will improve the quality of your search results, whether you are using a generic search engine (e.g. Google) or a specialist database (e.g. Business Source Corporate in the ManagementDirect database or IEEE Xplore).
• The best textbooks are written in an engaging style, and they are easy to understand and up to date. They have handy tools to make them more usable (e.g. index, glossary, case studies, lists of illustrations etc).

The core textbooks for your programme will be provided to you through VLeBooks and BibliU. These ebook services work differently, as discussed on other pages.

Monographs are another book you are likely to come across. The word monograph comes from two Greek words: mono meaning single; grapho meaning to write - thus, "writing on one subject". Monographs do not necessarily aim to discuss every relevant point of view equally. They are likely to advocate a particular point of view, often based on research done by the monograph's author or other researchers.

You do not have to agree with every book you read, even if it is on your module reading lists. As you develop your own knowledge and experience, you will be better equipped to critically appreciate other people’s views, including those in books and other publications.