Draft:Outline of reference works

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to reference works:

A reference work is a document, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end. The writing style used in these works is informative; the authors avoid opinions and the use of the first person, and emphasize facts.^{[citation needed]}

What type of thing are reference works?

Reference work

Reference works can be described as all of the following:

Types of reference works

Abstracting journal – a published summary of articles, theses, reviews, conference proceedings, and other works of scholarship, arranged systematically
Almanac – an annual publication, listing a set of current, general or specific information about one or multiple subjects
- Folded almanac
Annals – concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically
Atlas – a collection of maps traditionally bound into book form
Bibliography – a systematic list of books and other works such as journal articles on a given subject or which satisfy particular criteria
Biographical dictionary – an encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information
Books of quotations – collections of quotations satisfying particular criteria, arranged systematically
Brand Book
Calendar – a record or a schematic set-up of the days and dates in the months of a specific year
Chronicle or chronology – a historical account of events arranged in chronological order
Compendium – a concise collection of information pertaining to a body of knowledge
Concordance – an alphabetical list of the principal words used in a book or body of work
Dictionary – a list of words from one or more languages, systematically arranged and giving meanings, etymologies etc.
Digest – a summary of information on a particular subject
Directory – a systematically arranged list of names, addresses, products, etc.
- Business directory
- Telephone directory
- Web directory
Encyclopedia – a compendium providing summaries of knowledge either from all branches or from a particular field or discipline
Field guide
Gazetteer – a geographical dictionary or directory used to provide systematic access to a map or atlas
Glossary – an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms
Handbook – a small or portable book intended to provide ready reference
Index – a publication giving systematic access to a body of knowledge
Leishu
Lexicon – a synonym for a dictionary or encyclopaedic dictionary
List – a published enumeration of a set of items
Manual – a handbook providing instructions in the use of a particular product
Phrase book – a collection of ready-made phrases, arranged systematically, usually for a foreign language together with a translation
Ready reckoner – a printed book or table containing pre-calculated values
Technica Curiosa
Thematic catalogue – an index used to identify musical compositions through the citation of the opening notes
Textbook – a reference work containing information about a subject
Thesaurus – a reference work for finding synonyms and sometimes antonyms of words
Timetable – a published list of schedules giving times for transportation or other events
Vertical file
Yearbook – a compendium containing events relating to a specific year

Meta-reference works

Metabibliography – bibliography of bibliographies
Guide to information sources – reference work that directs the reader to authoritative sources on specific subjects.