Types of Sources
- Abstracts --
Sources containing abstracts (summaries) of works dealing with a particular subject.
Access is usually by author, title, subject, keyword, or a combination of these. Citations
will be given to the location of the complete text of the article or book. (Examples:
Psychological Abstracts; Sociological Abstracts) *sample
entry
- Atlases --
Volumes containing maps. Atlases can be general or specialized. Examples: general--The
Bantam Illustrated World; specialized-- Reader's Digest Atlas of the Bible;The
Random House Atlas of the Oceans; Atlas of Economic Mineral Deposits.)
see below for sample
entry.
- Bibliographies -- Lists or catalogs of works dealing with a particular subject, written by a particular
author, or belonging to a particular library or nation, e.g. (Examples: subject--The
Native American in Long Fiction; author--Iris Murdoch: A Descriptive Primary
and Annotated Secondary Bibliography; library or national: British National
Bibliography.)
*sample entry
- Biographical Sources -- Sources containing histories of the lives of famous or important people.
(Examples: Biographical Dictionary of Psychology; Current Biography.)*sample entry
- Checklists --an
enumeration which comprises the authoritative contents or scope of an institution's
holdings, or the works of a particular author; subject; genre; etc. (Examples: Urania's
Daughter: A Checklist of Women Science Fiction Writers, 1692-1982; Poetry
Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation Since 1925 of British and American Poems Past
and Present.*sample entry
- Chronologies --
Sources providing quick reference for the sequence of events as well as broad skeletal
outlines of significant dates and occurrences in history. (Examples: People's
Chronology: A Year-by- Year Record of Human Events; Day-by-Day:The Seventies)
*sample entry
- Current News --
Sources for the most current information on world, nation, state, and local issues and
events. (Examples: Facts on File; Keesing's Record of World Events.)* sample entry
- Dictionaries --
Sources explaining words in a particular language. Words are listed in alphabetical order,
and explanations may include the origin of the word, its meaning, and its pronunciation.
There are also dictionaries for subject areas or occupations which define key terms and
concepts. (Examples: language--Random House French-English, English-French Dictionary;
subject--McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Physics.)*sample entry
- Encyclopedias -- Multi- or single-volume works that give information on all subjects or limited to a
specific subject. They are arranged in a systematic way (usually alphabetical order).
Encyclopedias present an overview of a subject whether the subject is general or specific.
(Examples: general--The New Encyclopaedia Britannica; subject--The Encyclopedia
of Fantasy.)*sample entry
- Guides --
Guides are reference works that give an introduction to a subject area often in
textbook-like format. Guides also list certain methods of conducting research within a
field and include annotated lists of reference tools used for research. (Examples: Guide
to the Sources of Medieval History; Studies on Korea: A Scholar's Guide.)*sample entry
- Handbooks --
Handbooks provide simple, brief, thorough information about a subject. Handbooks are small
enough to be held in the hand and are written primarily for practioners. (Examples: A
Beowulf Handbook; Film Researcher's Handbook: A Guide to Sources in North America,
South America, Asia, Australasia and Africa.)*sample entry
- Indexes --
Indexes are similar to bibliographies. They give basic information about a work and tell
where the work is located in a library or other source. Most indexes are accessible by
title, author, subject, keyword, or a combination of these. (Examples: Social Sciences
Index; Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.)*sample entry
- Manuals --
Manuals are similar to handbooks. They give instructional/how-to information on a subject.
(Examples: Aids to Navigation Manual: Seamanship; Historic Building Facades: The Manual
for Maintenance and Rehabilitation.)
*sample entry
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