What are reference books and reference sources?

Almanacs

An annual publication of practical dates, facts, and statistics, current and/or historic. 

Example: The Military Balance

Atlases

A bound or boxed collection of maps, usually related in subject or theme, with an index of place names usually printed at the end. 

Example: Historical Atlas of Hasidism

Bibliographies

A publication that lists written works by a specific author or on a given topic, or that share one or more common characteristics (language, time period, place of publication, etc.).

Example: Rap/Hip Hop: Oxford Bibliographies

Biographical sources

Works that describe the life of people who share one or more common characteristics (identity, profession, place, time, ect.). 

Example: Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History

Catalogues / catalogs

An organized list of items in a collection, an exhibition, or other intentional gathering of materials. This work often provides brief item-level descriptions of physical or other relevant characteristics. 

Example: A Catalogue of Greek Manuscripts

Concordances

An alphabetically arranged list of the principal words or selected words in a text, or in the works of an author, giving the precise location of each word in the text, with a brief indication of its context. 

Example: A Concordance of the Qur’an

Dictionaries

A single or multi-volume work that contains brief explanatory entries for terms related to a specific subject or field of inquiry. Entries are usually arranged alphabetically..

Example: Oxford English Dictionary

Directories

A list of people, companies, institutions, organizations, etc., often in alphabetical order, that provides contact information and other relevant details.

Example: The Grants Register 2022

Encyclopedias

A book or set of books containing authoritative summary information about a variety of topics in the form of short essays, usually arranged alphabetically by heading.

Example: Women and Gender in Medieval Europe

Glossaries

A publication providing an alphabetically arranged list of specialized vocabulary of a given subject or field of study, with brief definitions.

Example: Glossary of Morphology

Handbooks

Single-volume publications that provide concise factual information on a specific subject, organized systematically for quick and easy access.

Example: The Oxford handbook of positive psychology

Indexes

An alphabetically arranged list of headings consisting of the people, places, and subjects covered in a written work, with page numbers to refer the reader to the point in the text at which information pertaining to the heading is found. In large multi-volume reference works, the last volume may be devoted entirely to indexes. 

Example: See any multi-volume reference work

Style Guides

Resources that describe a set rules and guidelines for writing in a variety of contexts. These works include descriptions of how to cite, how to format a paper or a reference page, what font to use, what size that font should be, and much more.  

Example: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)