Reference Material

Reference materials are various sources that provide background information or quick facts on any given topic.

Choosing an appropriate source of information to meet our needs can save our time and help us get hold of relevant information.

Encyclopaedia

Newsletter

Magazine

Journal

Different types of Reference Materials

Encyclopaedias

A work containing information on all subjects, or limited to a special field or subject, arranged in systematic (usually alphabetical), order.

Encyclopaedias General Encyclopaedias Subject

Encyclopaedias Dictionary - linguistic information

encyclopaedia - factual information. Encyclopaedias have existed for around

2,000 years the oldest -Naturalis Historia (Pliny the Elder)

The world's largest, Encyclopaedia universal ilustrada europeo-Americana (118 volumes, 105,000 pages.

Wikipedia-Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger

Encyclopaedias General

It contain an alphabetically organized listing of a broad range of subjects with basic information for each entry.

Example - World Book Encyclopaedia.

Encyclopaedias Subject

It contain the same type of information and organized like a general encyclopaedia. The entries are limited to those that fall within the subject encyclopaedia’s scope of the coverage.

Example - Encyclopaedia of Mammals. The Grolier Encyclopaedia of Science and

Technology.

EncyclopaediasAdvantages Facts about a topic Quality checked

Disadvantages Print copies may go out of date

NewsletterA newsletter is a regularly distributed publication that is generally about one main topic of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters.

Example - newsletters are distributed at schools to inform parents about things that happen in that school.

NewsletterAdvantages Up-to-date coverage of events, news and

opinion Include images Can include reliable information as well as

some facts and figuresDisadvantages Can be biased May be influenced by political loyalties Some items may be written to entertain rather

than to portray facts

Magazine

Magazines are publications, usually periodical publications, that are printed or electronically published. (The online versions are called online magazines.) They are generally published on a regular schedule and contain a variety of content.

The Subscription Business Model for distribution falls into 3 main

categories Paid circulation

In this model, the magazine is sold to readers for a price. Non-paid circulation

This means that there is no cover price and issues are given away, for example airline in-flight magazines.

The Subscription Business Model for distribution falls into 3 main

categories Controlled circulation

This is the model used by many trade magazines (industry-based periodicals) distributed only to qualifying readers, often for free and determined by some form of survey.

MagazineAdvantages Indicates areas of professional interest Up-to-date coverage of news and opinion Opportunities for communities to engage Feature new services, resources or areas of interest

Disadvantages Not as extensively quality reviewed as journals

Journal

A newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or professional activity. Magazine, review, newsletter, news-sheet, bulletin.

A collection of articles relating to a particular topic published regularly (e.g. once a month, quarterly, annually)

JournalAdvantages Include the latest research Up-to-date Cover very specific topics List references used – good source for further

research

Disadvantages Don’t go into as much detail as books