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Using Reference Sources
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 Knowing where to look for information is essential to succeeding in school. There are number of useful reference sources that can help you find information on a variety of topics as well as answers to questions. These resources include dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, almanacs and atlases.
1. Dictionary
The dictionary is the most common and basic reference source that most students use. The purpose of the dictionary is to provide the meaning, spelling and correct pronunciation of words. There are three types of dictionaries, abridged, unabridged and specialized. Abridged dictionaries include only those words that most commonly used in everyday language. Unabridged dictionaries include all words used in language. Specialized dictionaries provide information on words that apply to a specific subject such as chemistry, math, psychology and many other subject areas.
2. Thesaurus
A thesaurus provides a directory of synonyms for commonly used words. A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning as another word. For example, “tiny” is a synonym for “small” because both words have almost the same meaning.
3. Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a compilation of articles, descriptions and explanation written by experts on a variety of subjects. Encyclopedias my also include maps, diagrams, graphs, illustrations and other reference materials. There are typically two types of encyclopedias, general encyclopedias and subject specific encyclopedias. As the name indicates, general encyclopedias contain articles and reference information on an array of topics. Subject encyclopedias contain detailed articles and reference information on specific subjects. Encyclopedia can be found in hardback book format as well as online. Online encyclopedia usually provide much more up-to-date information than traditional hardback encyclopedias.
4. Almanac
An almanac contains facts about a variety of topics during a given year. Topics covered in almanacs may include government, history, countries, weather, as well as many other topics. Since a new almanac comes out each year the information provided is usually very current.
5. Atlas
An atlas provides a collection of maps. And while there are large variety of atlases the most common contain maps of countries and geographies throughout the world. A country map will show the borders of countries as well as major political features such as borders, states and cities. Maps showing geography usually include features such as oceans, seas, lakes, mountains, valleys, rivers and deserts. Another very common type of atlas is a road map. A road atlas contains a collection of road maps that help us find our way from one location to another. There are also specialized atlases that provided detailed maps other things such as human anatomy, animal anatomy, lakes, rivers of the world, and more. As the name of this website suggests, EducationAtlas.com contains maps of education. EducationAtlas.com helps individuals find detailed education resources and information.
Making use of reference resources will help you in you prepare for class discussion, write essays, pass your tests and much, much more.
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