Introductory Material | Basic Questions to Ask When Seeking Information | General Sources
Introductory Material General Sources of Information 1. Encyclopedias These sources provide brief informational articles about people, places, events, and things. They provide a nice overview for beginning research and they may include a bibliography to help you find additional information on your topic. Palomar College has over 700 encyclopedias. There are both general encyclopedias which contain information from all branches of knowledge and single subject encyclopedias. "When did Montana become a part of the U. S.?" Examples: General - World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 1996. Subject Specific - The Encyclopedia of Religion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1986. Electronic - 2. Dictionaries These reference tools provide a variety of information about words including: definitions, usage, etymology, orthography, pronunciation, grammar and more. There are general dictionaries as well as special ones. Special dictionaries include: slang, synonyms and antonyms, usage, abbreviations, foreign language and subject specific. Palomar College has a wide range of subject specific dictionaries including art, economics, philosophy, and many more. "What word can I use in place of happy?" Examples: Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary, Detroit: Gale, 1999. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Electronic-
3. Biographies Biographical sources provide information about people who are living or dead. "What were Albert Einstein's major accomplishments?' Examples: Current Biography Yearbook. New York: Wilson. American Men and Women of Science. New York: Bowker. Electronic-
4. Directories Directories list names, addresses, phone numbers, and functions of people and organizations. "Who is the CEO of Intel?' Examples: Encyclopedia of Associations. Detroit: Gale,1956-. Million Dollar Directory. New York: Dun and Bradstreet, Incorporated, 1959-. Electronic -
5. Almanacs and Yearbooks These books provide current information on a wide variety of topics. They are particularly useful for providing facts and details. It has been said that 76% of factual questions can be answered by using The World Almanac. "What movie received the most Oscars in 1956?" Examples: The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York: World Almanac, 1868-. Europa Year Book. Longond: Europa Publications, 1926-. Electronic - 6. Atlases These books provide information on place locations, climate, populations, land formations, political boundaries and other data related to places. "What is the distance between San Diego and Chicago?' Examples: Goode, J. Paul. Goode's World Atlas. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1993. Fast, Timothy. The Women's Atlas of the United States. New York: Facts on File, 1995. Electronic -
7. Statistical Sources Answers to questions that begin with "how much" or "how many" can often be found in a book of statistics. These information sources contain charts and graphs of numerical facts or data. Statistics are useful in providing evidence or support for a theory or hypothesis. The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the basic source for data about a variety of topics. The World Almanac is also an excellent source for statistics. "How many 18 - 21 year olds smoke in the United States." Examples: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1879-. Gale Book of Averages. Detroit: Gale, 1994-. Electronic - 8. Quotations Quotation sources help to answer the question, "who said what." They are useful for providing a lead sentence for a speech or paper. Who said, " Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party." Examples: Bartlett, John. Familiar Quotations. Boston: Little Brown and Co., 1992. Pater, Alan F. and Jason R. Pater, eds. What They Said in 1995. Palm Springs, CA: Monitor Book Co., 1996. Electronic - 9. Bibliographies Bibliographies are lists of books, films, recordings, etc. Some bibliographies are annotated which means they will give a brief description of the book's contents. Many bibliographies only provide the title, author and publishing information. Bibliographies may be found in encyclopedias and at the end of books or chapters of books among other places. There are subject bibliographies which will provide lists of books related to a particular topic. "What books have been written about the Civil War?" Examples: Bauermeister, Erica. 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide. New York: Penguin Books, 1994. Haywood, Charles. A Bibliography of North American Folklore and Folksong. New York: Dover, 1961. Electronic -
10. Indexes An index points to information that may be located in a book or magazine. It may be a list of terms located at the back of a book. This "back of the book index" indicates what page in the book you can locate particular information. An index may be a stand alone book such as the Play Index which will tell you where to locate a published play. A periodical index may be in print form or electronic. You use a periodical index to locate magazine, journal, or newspaper articles by subject, title, or author. Palomar College has a variety of print periodical indexes (located on the Index Tables in the Reference Area): Reader's Guide, 1890-; Art Index, 1929-; Business Periodicals Index, 1986-; Cumulative Index to Nursing..., 1991-; Education Index, 1986-; General Science Index, 1978-; Humanities Index, 1974-; Library Literature, 1986-; London Times Index, 1785-1969; New York Times Index, 1851; and Social Sciences Index, 1986-. Electronic indexes that we use to locate magazine, journal and newspaper articles.
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