General References are resources used to learn factual information.
We use them to research information on a particular person, place, thing, concept or event.
General Reference material can be online or in the school library. Each is used for a different purpose. These include;
- dictionaries- used to look up the definitions of words
- thesauruses- used to look up synonyms or similar words
- encyclopedias- used to look up facts
- atlases- used to look up maps and facts about particular areas
- directories- used to find names of people, addresses, phone numbers and organisations
‘General References in Five Dock Library’ by Ms Agius.
General reference resources have different ways to use them, although they all contain organised lists in alphabetical order. You need to follow the order of the letters of the alphabet. If two words start with the same letter, you must sort by the second letter or even the next few letters.
Encyclopedias contain information that is in alphabetical order, however we use the index to locate where to find the information. Indexes are lists of words with page numbers next to them to help us quickly locate the page we need.
Sometimes when we locate a piece of information, it could refer us to another word to research. You may say ‘see also’ as a way to tell us to look up another term. More information on how to use reference materials can be found by watching this video.
Access the instructions for the learning task on general references.
General Reference Sources
The Macmillian Encyclopedia of Australian Plants and Animals is a volume of encyclopedias we have in the library. You can find them under the reference sign shown in the picture, or look up the title using Oliver.
Notice that this cover says ‘Volume 1 A-B’. This means that this book, known as a volume only covers Australian plants and animals that start with the letters A-B. You will need to locate the correct volume using the information in the index.
Britannica School is an online encyclopedia that the school has a user name and password for. The password is located on the wall behind the computer area. A benefit of using an encyclopedia online is that it has the most up to date facts available for your research.
Britannica School Online Encyclopedia
Kids.Wordsmyth is an online kids dictionary. Under the first tab ‘Dictionaries’ you can choose between the children’s dictionary, The WILD illustrated dictionary or for a challenge the comprehensive dictionary. Enter a word in the search bar or browse by letters of the alphabet.
