RESEARCH TIPS
Reference material
Tarja Moles runs through essential reference works for any writer
Reference works are vital for busy writers as they allow you to find information easily. Their strength lies in offering synthesised information, giving definitions and subject overviews, providing facts and statistics, listing addresses and outlining events in chronological order. They tend to include catalogues and indices which help you navigate their respective topics.
Examples of reference works
Encyclopaedias are considered authoritative and comprehensive sources. Their scope can vary from covering topics across the whole of human knowledge (eg Encyclopaedia Britannica, www.britannica.com) to focusing on a specific subject area (eg The Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences). Many encyclopaedias are regularly revised, so they are usually relatively up to date.
Dictionaries are a must for all writers. There are many different kinds and they’re helpful in different ways: English language dictionaries help with spelling and grammar; regional accent and slang dictionaries (eg Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com) can open up a whole new world for the uninitiated; subject-specific dictionaries explain expert terminology (eg A Dictionary of World History); and rhyming dictionaries (eg Rhymer, www. rhymer.com) are handy for poets.