REFERENCE SOURCES

• A reference source provides answers to brief facts, statistical information, background

information, or directs the searcher to additional information source
• The ALA Glossary of Library And Information Science provides a functional definition of
reference sources as "A book designed by the arrangement and treatment of its subject
matter to be consulted for definitive items of information rather than to be read
consecutively.

Categories of Reference Sources

• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
• Yearbooks
• Almanac
• Geographical Information Sources
• Directory
• Manual
• Handbook
• Biographical Information Sources
• Bibliography
• Indexing and Abstracting Periodicals
• Databases

Dictionary
• Dictionary is a book containing words of a language arranged alphabetically with their
meanings.
• Most dictionaries list pronunciations, grammatical labels, illustrative quotations, synonyms,
antonyms, usage notes, etymology and other information.

Types of Dictionaries
• General language dictionaries;
• Subject dictionaries;
• special purpose dictionaries; and
• bilingual and multilingual dictionaries

Encyclopedias
– It is a book or set of books giving information on all branches of knowledge or on certain
wide fields with articles arranged alphabetically.
– Pictures and diagrams are included wherever necessary to clarify the concepts and enhance
learning process.
– Most encyclopedias are arranged alphabetically from A to Z. Some are topically arranged,
such as one volume may be devoted to 'Animals', another to 'Plants', 'Earth' and Universe',
or some other subjects.
Yearbooks
– Yearbook, as the name indicates, is a book of information that is updated and published
annually, i.e., every year.
 – The basic purpose of a yearbook is to record events and developments of the previous year
in a country or in the world.
–
Categories of Yearbooks
(a) International Yearbook
– provides reliable and handy statistical information about each country of the world.
– The Statesman's Yearbook published by Macmillan, provides political, economic and social
account of every country (194 countries) of the world together with facts and analysis.
(http://www.statesmansyearbook.com)
(b) National Yearbook
– provides up to date political, economic and social account of an individual country.
– National yearbooks are mostly compiled by the respective government
( c ) Subject Yearbook
– Subject Yearbook: An yearbook devoted to specific subject or group of subjects is a
subject yearbook.

Almanac
– Almanac is a reference book usually published once a year and contains many kinds of
information.
– Almanacs originally provided a calendar of the months with eclipses, the movement of
planets and the rising and setting of sun, moon and stars.
– Present day almanacs include a comprehensive presentation of statistical and descriptive
data covering the entire world. Major topics covered are geography, government,
demographic data, agriculture, economics and business, health and medicine, S&T,
transport, sports, awards and prizes.

Handbook
– Handbook by definition is a concise reference book providing specific information or
instruction about a topic or a subject.
– Subject handbook basically gives brief information such as facts on a subject. They are
designed to be easily consulted and provide quick answers. Handbooks are widely used by
practitioners and specialists working in an industry or a laboratory.

Manual
– Manual basically provides step-by-step instructions on how to do a particular job or operate
a particular machine.
– For example, a cookbook or a book providing step-by-step instructions to assemble a
computer is a manual

Biographical Information Sources

- A biography by definition is an account of a person's life, usually written by
someone else and published or intended to be published.
– Biographical sources are publications listing biographical details of famous people. Such
sources cover biographies of world leaders, people holding key positions in international
 organizations, people with outstanding performance in sports, music, dance, acting and
other professional fields like science & technology, medicine etc.

Geographical Information Sources

– These sources provide information about places, people, rivers, mountains, forests, lakes
etc.
– This collection comprises the following three types of sources:-
– · Maps, Atlases and Globes;
– · Gazetteers; and
– · Guide Books

– Map is a pictorial presentation of earth's surface or part of it, showing countries, cities,
rivers, lakes and mountains. Map can also be a drawing of the sky showing the position of
stars and the planets.
– Atlas: A book containing collection of maps is called an atlas. A big atlas contains the map of
every county.
– Globe is a map that has been pasted or printed on a hollow sphere. Only a globe can give
correct picture of the earth as a whole, as the surface of the globe is rounded like the earth's
surface. A globe represents all parts of the earth's surface correctly. The proportions and
positions of the earth's land features and oceans in relation to each other are seen on a
globe exactly as they are on the earth.

Gazetteers
– A gazetteer is a dictionary of geographical names. It lists names of places, seas, mountains
and other geographical entities of particular area along with its history, economic
development, geography and the people.
– As a reference source, a gazetteer provides historical, social, cultural, political, industrial,
demographic and administrative details of a country, state or a district.

Guide Books
– Guide Books are basically travel guides or tourist guides meant for people who want to visit
various places in their own country or any other part of the world.

Bibliography
– Bibliography is a list of documents that share a common factor that may be a subject, a
language, a period, an author, or some other criteria. Some of the types of bibliography are
mentioned below.
– i). A national bibliography lists publications produced in a country. It serves as an effective
book selection tool.
– (ii). Trade bibliographies are brought out by publishers, booksellers, distributors and
printers. These bibliographies list books available for sale. These publications help
librarians to select books for the library.
– (iii). Subject bibliographies list documents on a particular subject. A well prepared subject
bibliography meets the information requirement of a user, who is looking for documents on
a particular subject.
Directory
– A directory is a list of names and addresses of people and organizations. Directories are also
very important reference tools in the library to answer directory type of enquiries from the
users.
– Categories of Directory
– · General Directories, and
– · Special Directories.

Specialized Information Sources

– Example of these sources are statistics, standard, annual reports, government publications,
bibliographic tools, periodical indexes and abstracts, and online and CD-ROM databases

STATISTICAL SOURCES
– Census- data collection about everyone in a group or population
– Sample surveys- part of the total population is approached

Annual Reports
– Valued reference sources which give up-to-date information on organizations, government
departments, companies, etc.

Government Publications
– It is produced by a wide range of bodies ranging from parliaments, the courts, government
departments etc.

Indexing And Abstracting Periodicals

– Indexing and abstracting periodicals bring together recently published literature in specific
subject discipline scattered over wide range of primary sources. These publications, known
as secondary periodicals, regularly scan recently published primary sources (primary
periodicals, research reports, conference proceedings, dissertations, patents, standards,
etc. ), select relevant items, arrange them in helpful sequence and bring to the notice of the
researchers at regular intervals. Each item is listed with full bibliographical details, with or
without abstract
– A secondary periodical without abstract, is called an indexing periodical and with abstract,
an abstracting periodical. Bibliographical details help the reader to identify an original
document. An abstract helps the reader to decide, whether to read original document or not.
Sometimes a well prepared abstract, serves as substitute for the original document.
Indexing and abstracting periodicals help users to overcome language barrier, keep them
abreast of current developments in their subject fields, and solve their research problems, if
any.
Databases
– Electronic databases are organized collection of data or information that are stored in
computer readable form and can be easily accessed, modified and updated.
Internet
– A global web of computer networks- “ a network of networks”
– Used to disseminate information, seek information, communicate, teach ,learn and conduct
business.
REFERENCES:

– Module 4- Reference Sources. Retrieved from https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.inepgpdata

– -Gosling, Mary (1999). Learn reference work. Campbell:DocMatrix Pty Ltd.

EVALUATION OF REFERENCE SOURCES

DEFINITION

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

Evaluate /əˈvalyəˌwāt/ means “to determine the significance, worth, or condition of
usually by careful appraisal and study”

Evaluation of Reference Sources means assessing the value of the source according
to the requirements of the library, based on users’ level of education.

IMPORTANCE OF EVALUATING INFORMATION SOURCES

1. The amount of available documents is huge; it is impossible to read all published

documents, thus it is important to select the ones that give the most
comprehensive understanding about subject or topic.
2. Researchers and Scientists are under pressure: they need to publish scientific
documents (journal articles, book chapters, communication at conferences) in
order to be promoted in their career, thus, not all published documents bring
something new or are relevant to information needs in a given situation.
3. Some information is false, erroneous, incomplete or misleading: scientific
literature is usually peer reviewed in order to reduce errors. However, there many
cases of erroneous documents being published in top level journals. MEDLINE,
the premier bibliographic database in the biomedical field, contains many
retractions, errata or corrections to articles published in scientific peer reviewed
journals. The likelihood of falsehoods becomes greater in documents that are not
peer reviewed such as websites.
4. Information affects our decisions. We base our decisions on information that is
gathered form different sources. It is more important in the health and medical
field because wrong information can lead to decision that will result in dramatic
consequences; which may sometimes lead to perpetual disabilities of death.

GENERAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (PRINT RESOURCES)

AUTHORITY
SCOPE
TREATMENT
ARRANGEMENT
FORMAT
SPECIAL FEATURES
RELATION TO SIMILAR WORKS
COST

AUTHORITY
  Authorship: What are the qualifications in experience and education of the
author, authors, contributors, and editors by reputation and as revealed in
previous works?
 Auspices: What is the reputation of the publisher or the sponsoring agency?
 Genealogy: Is the work new? If it is based on previous publication, what is the
extent of the revision?

SCOPE

 Purpose: To what extent is the statement of purpose in the preface fulfilled in the
text?
 Coverage: What is the range of subject matter and what are the limitations?
 Recency: How up to date is the material? Are all of the articles and bibliograpies
as recent as the last copyright date?
 Bibliographies: To what extent do the bibliographies indicate scholarship and
send the user on to additional information?

TREATMENT

 Accuracy: How thorough, reliable and complete are the facts?

 Objectivity: Is there any bias in controversial issues? How balanced is the space
given one subject as compared with others of equal importance?
 Style: Is the writing level that of the layman or the scholar, adult, or child? How
readable is the work?

ARRANGEMENT

 Sequence: Does the sequence of content follow classified, chronologic,

geographic, tabular or alphabetic order? If alphabetic, are the topics large or
small?
 Indexing: Is the main text arrangement adequately complemented by indexes
and cross references

FORMAT

 Physical make-up: Do binding, paper, type, and layout meet minimum

specifications?
 Illustrations: Are the illustrations of good quality, are they of real significance and
are they directly related to the text?

SPECIAL FEATURES

 Distinction: What features distinguish this information source (reference book)

from all others?
RELATION TO SIMILAR WORKS

 Comparative values: How does the work compare to similar titles?

Reviews: are they favorable?
COST

 What is the pricing structure of the product?

 How are the costs determined?

GENERAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (E-SOURCES)

PURPOSE

The first thing is to find out the purpose of publishing the source. Is it to inform, to sell or
to entertain? Websites can be misleading in their stated or implied purpose. Therefore,
purpose of site should be carefully seen.

AUTHORITY

It is necessary to find who is the author, is he/she a known expert/scholar? What is the
author’s occupation, position, title, education, experience, etc.? Is the page signed? Is
the author qualified to write on the subject? What were the sources (primary or
secondary) of author’s information/knowledge? Are these sources cited as
bibliography? In case of web sources, it may be difficult to determine authors and their
qualifications (even if the page is signed) as anyone can publish anything on web,
moreover, these are not regulated for quality and accuracy as a result, user has to be
more alert to know whether the information can be verified? Is the information filtered?
i.e peer reviewed? Has it been refereed? One should check URL domain for source of
information and find who the publisher of document is and what its credentials are. Is
the publisher well known with good experience and reputation for issuing reference
sources? Is he a recognised authority? Availability of email address, phone number of
author/publishers can help in authentication of information and sources.

OBJECTIVITY

A standard source is the one which reflects clear objectivity of information; therefore
one should check is the information biased? Does it project all perspectives on an
issue? Is the author’s point of view objective and impartial? Does it reflect the author’s
(bias) affiliation with an organisation? Whether the information provided is a fact,
opinion, or propaganda? Is the information free of advertising? Does the content of the
page has an official approval of the institution? One should also find when the
information was published and is the information in its original form or has been
revised?

CURRENCY
Although the currency of information usually depends upon the nature of the topic, it is
particularly important in science and technology where information changes very fast.
However, a good reference source should be updated regularly; therefore, one should
always try to find when the information was first published? When it was updated and is
it recent enough for the needed purpose? Is the site updated regularly? Is there any
indication when the site was last updated? Dates are sometimes absent or may have
different meanings like date of creation, placing on web or last revised, so one should
check the dates carefully.

RELIABILITY

It is important to check the reliability and credibility of sources. Is it authentic? One

should ascertain why to believe information given on the site? Does the information
appear to be valid and well researched or it is unsupported by evidence? Is the
information unique or has it been copied? Which institution supports this information? Is
the supporting institution well known? Are there some non-web equivalents of the
material to verify the information?

COVERAGE

Is the source comprehensive enough in its coverage for the indicated needs of the
audience? What items are included? What subject area, time period, formats, or type of
materials are covered in the site? Does the site contain original information or simply
links? If links are given, what kind of sources are linked, are these related to the topic
and useful for the purpose of the site? Are these links still current or they have become
dead ends? Have these been evaluated or annotated in any way?

FORMAT AND PRESENTATION

Is the information easy to get? Does the source contain a table of contents and/or an
index to facilitate the use or to find the specific information one needs? How many links
does it take to provide the needed information? Is the arrangement of links uncluttered?
Does the site have its own search engine? Is the site easily browsable and searchable?
If graphical images are included, what is the quality of these graphical images? Do
these images enhance the understanding?

SPECIAL FEATURES

Does the source contain graphs, charts, tables, maps, or any other special features that
adds to the usefulness of the source? Does it use header and footer to indicate
information about the author and source?

REFERENCES:
Singh, S P (2003). Evaluation of electronic reference sources. Retrieved January 2,
2019 from https://www.gndec.ac.in/~librarian/sveri/dbit2302043%20(1).pdf

Gosling, Mary (1999) Learn reference work. Campbell: DocMatrix Pty Ltd

Reference Sources: Origin, Evaluation and Use. Retrieved January 2, 2019 from
https://www.slideshare.net/RJRaaja/reference-sources-origin-evaluation-and-use

Module Six - Evaluating Electronic Resources. Retrieved January 7, 2019 from

http://karibouconnections.net/medlibafrica/training_module/pdf/module6.pdf