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What are Reference materials?

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.

6. Periodicals

5. Almanac

4. Atlas

3. Encyclopedia

2. Thesaurus

1. Dictionaries

Six Common Types of Reference Materials

Reference materials

  • Dictionaries are used to look up words.
  • They can be used for a variety of reasons: definition, spelling, pronunciation, word origin, part-of-speech and how it is used in a sentence.
  • There are many different types of specialized dictionaries such as geographical or biographical.

1. Dictionaries

  • A thesaurus is used to find words that mean the same or opposite as another word.
  • These are called synonyms and antonyms.
  • They are simple to use- just look up your word and a thesaurus will give you the list of synonyms and antonyms for that word.
  • A thesaurus, however, does not usually provide you with a definition ( you would refer to a dictionary for that)

2. Thesaurus

+Info

  • An encyclopedia is used to find information about a person, place, or thing.
  • Articles found in an encyclopedia are usually longer and contain more information than a dictionary.
  • Encyclopedias are a great place to start to find information about a topic you know nothing about or want to learn more about.
  • An example of an online encyclopedia is Wikipedia

3. Encyclopedia

  • An atlas is a book of maps.
  • Atlases are used to find specific locations such as : country, state, city, or geographic formation.
  • Many people use an atlas when they are going on vacation or traveling to another place.
  • There are specialized atlases such as historical and geographic.

4. Atlas

  • An almanac is a book of facts that provide brief, useful, and interesting information relating to countries of the world, sports, entertainment, etc.
  • They are updated every year so they always contain the most current information available.

5. Almanac

  • A periodical is a publication that is released on a regular schedule, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. Periodicals can include newspapers, magazines, and journals.
  • Examples for kids include:
    • Highlights
    • Ranger Rick Jr.
    • Sports Illustrated Kids
    • National Geographic Kids

6. Periodicals

Your family is going on vacation to Mexico to explore the Mayan ruins. You want to find out more about this ancient civilization. Which reference material would you use to find out this information?

Encyclopedia

Your family is planning a vacation to Florida. You are going to Disney World. Your dad wants to know which interstate to travel. Which reference material should he use?

Atlas

You want to know which NFL player scored the most touchdowns in 2022. Which reference material would you use to find this information?

Almanac

You are writing a review for a restaurant and want to use a different word for "great" when stating, "The food was great!" on the restaurant's webpage. Which reference material would you use?

Thesaurus

Interactivity and animation can be your best allies when creating tables, infographics, or charts that help provide context to information and simplify data for your audience. We are visual beings, and it is easier for us to 'read' images than to readwritten text.