Chapter Four
Reference Sources
A reference source is a book or database which gives brief information or an introduction to a topic. There are many types of reference sources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, directories and sources of statistics. Increasingly many of these resources may be found online.

The following are some examples of reference sources:

  1. General Encyclopedias
    General encyclopedias contain information in articles of varying lengths on subjects in all fields of knowledge. Examples include include World Book Encyclopedia and Academic American Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

  2. Almanacs
    Almanacs contain a wide variety of brief facts and statistics. Examples are Universal Almanac and World Almanac and Book of Facts and Information Please.

  3. Language and Subject Dictionaries
    Language dictionaries include the following: spelling, pronunciation, meaning, abbreviation, slang, and bilingual translations (such as Spanish-English). Merriam-Webster Online and Roget's Internet Thesaurus are two of the most common language dictionaries.

  4. Atlases
    An atlas is a bound or online set of maps with an index. Mapquest World Atlas: Map Index.

  5. Sources of Biographical Information
    Biographical information can be found in many places. Encyclopedias, yearbooks and directories are particularly useful. There are dictionaries and indexes devoted to information about people. Biography.com is one example of an online biographical resource.

  6. Sources of Statistical Information
    These sources offer a wide range of statistical information such as number of employed persons in the United States, number of households, etc. The Statistical Abstract of the United States, one example, is available both online and in print.

Practice Exercise

Use Mapquest World Atlas to answer the following questions:

  1. What is the population of Alaska?
  2. What is the per capita income in Alaska?

You can use the frame at left to go to any chapter you wish to explore next. The next chapter in order, however, is Chapter Five -- Designing a Search.