1. Print Reference Resources Gathering the Information You Need

2. What is a Reference Source? Designed to be used to find pieces of information, rather than read cover to cover Consulted early in the research process to provide -brief factual, statistical information -introductions and overviews of a subject -answers to frequently asked questions

3. Types of Reference Sources Atlas Biographical Source Encyclopedia Handbook Statistical Source Yearbook

4. Atlas A book of maps and geographical information Can be current, historical, or thematic

5. Biographical Sources Provide information about a notable person’s life Supply information about living or historical figures Are often collective in nature

6. Encyclopedias General Encyclopedias -cover a wide range of knowledge at a very basic level -written for the average junior or senior high school student Subject Encyclopedias -provide in-depth, scholarly coverage of a single subject area (articles are produced by experts in the field) -more useful for research

7. Handbooks Are basically manuals that serve as handy guides to a particular subject Often large amounts of information are compressed into one single book or volume Are very specialized, centering on one topic

8. Statistical Sources Almanac -a collection of statistics and facts on a variety of subjects -usually one volume -contains popular information Statistical Abstracts -summary of statistics on social, political, and economic organization of U.S. by year -contains tables and charts to support research

9. Yearbooks Present facts and statistics for a single year Usually contain longer articles and fuller descriptions of events than an almanac Can be general, covering many topics, or specific, focusing on one subject

10. Other Important Considerations

11. 1. Scholarly Source vs. Popular Source Scholarly Source -contains current research -author is an expert and has credentials -article contains a bibliography -written for the purpose of research -articles go through a peer review process Popular Source -contains information on popular topics -author is generally a staff writer or freelance journalist -contains shorter articles -articles rarely contain a bibliography -written for a general audience -articles do not go through a peer review process Scholarly = by and for experts/research based Popular = for a general audience/not necessarily research based

12. 2. Using an Index Lists topics/subjects that are discussed in the reference work Multiple volume reference sources have a separate index Single volume sources have an index/several indices in the back of the book Index = points to information somewhere else