This page will provide information on the different types of information resources and how to use them. The first table addresses the various types of serials (aka: journals, magazines etc), what they are and when the are best applied to an aspect of research. The table below that describes the different types of physical and online reference resources, along with search strategies and examples from the catalog.
| Type and Components | Scholarly/Academic | Popular Magazines | Trade Journals | Newspapers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: |  |
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 |
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| Author: | Scholar in field, academic, or researcher | Staff Writer, journalist, often a generalist | Staff writer, journalist often with expertise in field | Staff Writer, Journalist |
| Credit/Sources: | Always many references and/or footnotes | Rarely cites sources, original sources may be obscure | Rarely cites sources | Rarely cites sources |
| Structure of Articles: | long (10+ page) articles with sections such as abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion | Brief articles, unless feature | Brief article, unless feature | Brief article, unless feature |
| Look & Feel: | "Looks like a book." No color, no ads even in online versions | Glossy, graphics, full page advertisements even online versions | Glossy, graphics, advertisements, many are large format or online | Newsprint or online |
Content courtesy Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The library has many subject-specifc reference books. To identify sources that may be helpful to you, try a search in this Catalog Search that has already been limited to reference materials in the Library. You can combine (using "and") a keyword or phrase representing your topic with a keyword for the type of reference book you want to find.
Examples:
Another way to identify books in the library's reference collection is to use a Keyword search for a subject keyword or phrase, limiting your search by Location.
These are the most commonly-used type of reference sources:
| Type of Source | Contains | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| bibliography | Lists of books, journal articles, conference papers or technical documents on a particular topic | Bibliography of American Literature Nursing, a historical bibliography A bibliography of printed battle plans of the American Revolution |
| biography | Information the people's lives | Mandela: the authorized portrait |
| dictionaries | Word definitions, origins and pronunciations | Black's Law Dictionary American Psychiatric Glossary |
| directories | Contact information for organizations or individuals | Directory of schools for alternative and complementary health care International Organizations: a dictionary and directory |
| encyclopedias | Descriptions of historical figures and events, scientific and technical concepts, natural phenomena, etc. | Encyclopedia of religion in America Encyclopedia of heavy metal music |
| handbooks | Concise presentation of information essential to a process | Handbook of clinical audiology Entertainment, media & advertising market research handbook Loosening the grip: a handbook of alcohol information |
| identification | Portable book for field use | A field guide to coastal fishes: from Maine to Texas |
| indexes | Bibliographic description (citation, sometimes abstracts) for periodical articles, book chapters, conference papers, and other collections. | Magill index to masterplots: cumulative indexes 1963-1990 The Columbia Granger's index to poetry |
| maps | Pictorial model of a space | Atlas of histology: with functional and clinical correlations Student atlas of world politics |
Layout and some information for this section courtesy of Oregon Tech Libraries
To find background information or an overview of a topic:
To find up-to-date information on current events:
To find scholarly information on a topic:
To find additional sources within bibliographies or footnotes:
To discover new research ideas, emerging trends, or to gain an historical perspective on research:
To find current news, products, and trends within a specific trade or industry or practical information from practitioners: