Reference materials are materials that are used to find information. Reference materials include dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, and the Internet.These resources are usually organized in such a way to make finding information easier. For example, many reference materials are arranged in alphabetical order like dictionaries or encyclopedias. You will find these materials in the reference section of the library.
Reference materials are the tools to use when writing a research report or to help you find information if you simply want to learn more about something. It is important to know how to use these tools properly in order to get the most from them.
Become familiar with the different types of reference materials available to you. Knowing how to use them correctly will make finding information much easier. For example, if you need to find the correct spelling of a word, you would refer to a dictionary, not an encyclopedia.
Make sure to use the most up-to-date resources. If you are doing a research report on President Ronald Reagan and you use an encyclopedia dated 1972, you will not find any information on his presidency since he wasn't elected until 1981.
Check your information to make sure it is accurate. Sometimes you may find information that is outdated, or simply wrong. Make sure to use other resources of the same kind to prove that the information you have is correct. For example, if you are doing a research report on pythons, you may want to visit several websites and encyclopedias to not only get as much information as you can, but to check to make sure that the information found about pythons is accurate .
Study the following types of resources and take the quiz below. If you bring in the answers to the quiz, you get one sticker. If you get all the answers correct, you get three stickers. If you get one wrong, you get two stickers, and if you get two wrong, you get one sticker. You can write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
Types of Resources
almanac An almanac is a book of information about one particular subject. It is published every year and contains articles, lists, and charts. For example, people can find an almanac on car racing that comes out every year. It contains the racing schedules for the year, lists statistics on the drivers, and has articles about the sport of racing. Another popular almanac is The Farmer's Almanac. This almanac predicts the weather for the year, uses charts to describe planting seasons, and gives advice on farming and cooking. Almanacs are good resources to use to find infomration on one particular subject. Be sure to check the information found in almanacs with other reference materials, such as information on the weather in the Farmer's Almanac. These are only predictions on what might happen and are not based on scientific research. Be aware of the differences between fiction and nonfiction.
atlas An atlas is a book of maps and descriptions about the areas on the maps. There are all different kinds of atlases. State atlases provide maps and information about a particular state. They name and describe the history of the state, the state capital, the state flower, and the state dog, to name a few. They also give information on tourist attractions and great places to visit. Atlases use symbols to define capitals, cities, rivers, and mountains. There will be a key, or a legend, that shows what each symbol stands for on the maps. For example, the legend may show ^ - campsite. Wherever you see the symbol ^ on the maps in that atlas, you know there are campsites in that area. Most maps also have a compass near the legend. The compass tells you which directions on the map are north, south, east, and west. Atlases are good to use when planning a trip or when researching information on a particular area.
dictionary A dictionary is a book that gives the meaning of a word, tells how the word is spelled, how it is pronounced, and how it is used. If the word can be used as a verb, the abbreviation v. is given. If a word can be used as an adverb, the abbreviation adv. is given, and so on. The most common use of the word is given first. Dictionary entries(the word you are looking up and all of the words that go with it) also tell you how a word is broken up into syllables. This is helpful if you are trying to sound out a word or if a word you are trying to write won't fit at the end a line and you have to break it into syllables, Each page in a dictionary has guide words in bold print at the top of the page. The guide word on the left tells you the first word on the page. The guide word on the right tells you the last word on the page. If the word you are looking for comes after the word on the left and before the word on the right in alphabetical order, you will be able to find it on this page. For example, if the guide words at the top of a page in a dictionary are dart and deed, you know you will not find the word drape on this page, but you will find the word deal.
encyclopedias - Encyclopedias are sets of books that contain articles on many different subjects. Because the amount of information cannot all be put into one book, it is divided into many smaller books. Each book is called a volume. The volumes in each set are arranged in alphabetical order to make it easy to find the information. The letters are found on the spine of each volume. The books are also numbered to make it easy to keep them on the shelf. The numbers are also located on the spine.
The spine of a volume can look like this:
If you were looking for the word "cat", you would find it in this volume. If you were looking for the word "cement", you would not find it in this volume. You would probably find it in the next volume - volume 4.
To find information, you must have a keyword of the subject you are researching. For example, if you are researching Abraham Lincoln, your key word would be "Lincoln" (people are listed by their last names.) Once you locate the correct volume, you will use the guide words on the top of the page to help you find the key word. Just like a dictionary, guide words in dark print are found at the top of the pages. Usually, in an encyclopedia there is one guide word on the left page and and one on the right page. The guide word/s on the left side tell you the first article on the page, and the guide word/s on the right tell you the last article on the page. There is a also a separate volume called the index which lists each subject and tells you in which volume you can find it. Sometimes, you will come across a key word with no article following it, but a list of other topics that will help you locate information on the subject you are researching. This is called cross referencing.
Internet When using the Internet for research, you must know from where the information came. Some information is very useful and accurate while other information found on the Internet is false or misleading. You must first find out who put it on the Internet and why. Ask yourself: Do you think the group providing the information is interested in giving you the facts about the topic, or are they trying to sell you something? Are they giving you accurate facts, or are they trying to get you to believe something? Is the information serious, or are they trying to make a joke? Are they giving you facts or opinions? Besides asking yourself these questions, make sure the information you find on the Interenet is current by looking for a date on the site. Also, check the information you find on the Internet with information found in encyclopedias or other reference materials. For much more information on using the Internet, click here.
thesaurus - A thesaurus is a book that gives a list synonyms (words with the same meaning). A thesaurus is used to help you make your writing more interesting. For example, if you wrote the sentence, "My project holds information about space travel," you might feel that the word "holds" does not sound interesting or right. To find a better word, go to a thesaurus and look up the word "hold". You will find alternatives like contain or grasp. When substituting the word "grasp" in the sentence,you realize it does not sound appropriate. But subsitituting the word "contain" for "hold", you can see that it makes the sentence sound more interesting and intelligent. Like dictionaries, words in a thesaurus are listed in alphabetical order. You will also find guide words in a thesuarus to help you locate a word. Once you find the entry, or word you are looking for and all of the words that go with it, you will see the word's part of speech, followed by a list of synonyms. Many thesauri (plural of thesaurus) will also list the antonyms (words with the opposite meaning). For example, several antonyms listed for the word "old" are young, immature, and current.
Click this pencil to use on-line reference materials.
QUIZ
On a separate sheet of paper write the correct answer for each question below.
1. If you want to know the correct spelling of a word, in which type of reference book would you look?
a. dictionary
b. thesaurus
c. encyclopedia
Look at the dictionary entry below. Answer the questions that follow.
taper - v. 1. to slow down or decrease in size. n. 2. type of candle that is narrow at the top.
2. What guide words would be found at the top of a dictionary page for the word taper?
a. trap type
b. tape tartan
c. tame tan
3. What part of speech does the word taper function as in the following sentence?
The snow will taper off to flurries after midnight.
a. verb
b. noun
c. adjective
4. In the dictionary entry above, which definition means to slow down or decrease in size?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
5. To find information on the "Great Depression", in what reference book would you look?
a. dictionary
b. thesaurus
c. encyclopedia
6. To find the meaning of the word synonym, in what reference book would you look?
a. dictionary
b. thesaurus
c. almanac
7. What is the purpose of using a thesaurus?
a. to find information on people and events
b. to find synonyms so you don't use the same
words over and over again
c. to learn about the history of the world
8. Where would you find the most information on storms?
a. atlas
b. thesaurus
c. Internet
9. Between which of the guide words below would you find the word look?
a. lid list
b. litter loll
c. lone lunch
Refer to the following dictionary entry to answer question #10.
jun ior - adj. 1. being the son of the father with the same name. 2. lesser in rank, size, etc. - n 3. third year student.
10. Which definition describes "John, Jr."?
a. 1.
b. 2
c. 3
11. If a website about George Washington tells you he was the
best president ever, it is probably:
a. accurate
b. not accurate
12. If you go to a website about elephants, and the information
is describing a group of people who grow peanuts, this
information would probably not be useful for your report
on animals found in Africa.
a. true
b. false
13. Which of the following words is an antonym for the word
incredible?
a. unusual
b. common
c. unbelievable
14. Which of the following definitions is a synonym for the word
bountiful?
a. existing in small quantities
b. not enough
c. plentiful
15. Is the following statement fact or opinion? -
Daniel Boone preferred the outdoor life to city living.
a. fact
b. opinion
16. Choose the correct encyclopedia volume to find information
on "George Washington".
a. b. c.
17. If you were planning a trip to the state of Maine, which
reference book would be the most useful in helping
you make travel plans?
a. almanac
b. atlas
c. encyclopedia
18. The term "cross-referencing" means that you use
an encyclopedia and a dictionary for the same
topic.
a. true
b. false
19. A "legend" in an atlas tells you about the most
important historical people that lived in that particular area.
a. true
b. false
20. If you had to write a report on the history of Pennsylvania,
in which type of reference would you look?
a. Internet
b. encyclopedia
c. atlas
d. all of the above
