Newt Scamander (a.k.a. J. K. Rowling) wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in encyclopedia format, thus giving it a stamp of reality. Rowling uses numerous devices to make her book a credible representation of Harry Potter's actual schoolbook.

First and foremost, Rowling does not identify herself as the author, but rather she identifies one of the characters from her fictional world as the author. She also includes graffiti, scribbled in the book's margins by Harry and Ron, to give substance to her characters and to maintain the suspension of disbelief.