Reference Sources & Types MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Reference Sources & Types - Download Free PDF

The Correct answer is (i), (ii) and (iv) are correct

Key Points

• EPWRF India Time Series (EPWRFITS):
  • Launched in January 2011, the EPWRF India Time Series (EPWRFITS) is an interactive online database developed by the EPW Research Foundation (EPWRF).
  • It was established to offer reliable and structured time series data to support research across various sectors of the Indian economy.
  • Recognizing the critical need for authentic, timely, and accurate data in socio-economic research, EPWRF designed this database around the core principles of accuracy, timeliness, and completeness.
• Key Features:
  • Extensive Coverage: The database provides in-depth data on the Indian economy, covering over 50,000 variables across 20 modules.
  • Historical Depth: Offers continuous time series data dating back to 1950, depending on data availability.
  • Research-Oriented: Widely used and trusted by researchers, academics, and policy analysts in India and abroad.
  • Subscription-Based Access: Major users include ICSSR institutes, universities (central, state, private), IIMs, IITs, banks, and leading management institutions.

The Correct answer is (i) - (d) , (ii) - (c) , (iii) - (b) , (iv) - (a)

Key PointsThe Europa World of Learning

• Europa World of Learning is an Institutional Directory.
• It Started in the Year 1947 and is printed annually.
• It is published by Routledge, Taylor, and Francis Group
• It is the Online Version of the Classic Reference text in print.
• Its 73rd Edition was published in the Year 2023.​

Commonwealth Universities Yearbook:

• ​The Commonwealth Universities Yearbook was first published in 1914 by the Association of Universities of the British Commonwealth.
• The yearbook's title has changed over time, including:
  • 1914–1947: The Yearbook of the Universities of the Empire
  • 1948–1957: The Yearbook of the Universities of the Commonwealth
• The Commonwealth Universities Yearbook is a directory of universities in the Commonwealth and a handbook of their association

Universities Handbook:​

• The "Universities Handbook," first published by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) in 1927, is updated annually.
• It serves as a comprehensive guide to universities and higher education institutions in India, offering key details about courses, admission criteria, duration, library facilities, scholarships, and academic calendars.
• It provides extensive details on universities, courses, faculty, and professional bodies.

Statesman's year book:

• The Statesman's Yearbook is a one-volume reference book published annually since 1864.
• It is published by Palgrave Macmillan.
• It is providing information on the countries of the world.
• The first volume was published in 1864.
• Frederick Martin was its foundational editor and presided over the book for twenty years.
• Brian Hunter edited between 1990 and 1997 and Barry Turner took over in 1997.

The Correct answer is i , iv , ii , iii

Key Points

• Chemical Abstracts-
  • It is a division of the American Chemical Society for the source of chemical information.
  • It was founded in 1907 as a volunteer effort to organize published chemistry research.
  • CAS officially became a self-supporting division of the American Chemical Society in 1956.
  • It is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with global offices in 45+ countries.
• Biological Abstract:
  • ​Biological Abstracts, a database produced by Clarivate Analytics, compiles abstracts from peer-reviewed academic journal articles spanning various fields such as biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, pre-clinical and experimental medicine, pharmacology, zoology, agriculture, and veterinary medicine.
  • Its publication dates back to 1926.
  • Access to Biological Abstracts is available through multiple services, including EBSCO, Ovid, and Web of Science.
  • The initial online version, released on magnetic tape, focused solely on bibliographic information, not the full text of the abstracts.
  • This format aimed to serve as a rapid alerting service.
• Sociological Abstracts:
  • Sociological Abstracts is a comprehensive index that covers the global literature in sociology and related fields within the social and behavioral sciences.
  • It encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, social work, and human services.
  • Alongside, it incorporates Social Services Abstracts, which specifically focuses on current research in social work, human services, and related topics such as social welfare, social policy, and community development.
  • This database includes abstracts of journal articles, dissertations, book reviews, and citations from various scholarly publications, including books, book chapters, conference papers, and working papers.
  • The coverage of Sociological Abstracts spans from 1952 to the present, providing researchers with a valuable resource for accessing scholarly literature in the field.
• Library and Information Science Abstracts:
  • ​The Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) is an international abstracting and indexing tool designed for library professionals and other information specialists.
  • LISA covers the literature in Library and information science (LIS) since 1969 and currently abstracts 440+ periodicals from 68+ countries and in 20+ languages.
  • LISA was originally published by the Library Association. Bowker-Saur began publishing LISA in 1991.
  • Cambridge Information Group acquired Bowker in 2001 and LISA began being produced by its subsidiary Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.
  • CSA merged with ProQuest in 2007.
  • LISA Plus-Library and Information Science Abstracts published by Bowker Saur, East Grinstead, Great Britain in CD-ROM format since 1992. It is published 4 times a year. 

The Correct answer is 33 - volume main encyclopaedia and 2 - volume index.

Key Points

• The comprehensive "Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science" is a valuable asset, encompassing 33 volumes and featuring two useful indexes. 
• Authored by 1300 distinguished experts from around the globe, this reference work serves as an accessible guide for librarians, information scientists, bibliographers, documentalists, systems analysts, and students, providing a wealth of knowledge on the techniques and tools within the realm of library and information science.
• Historical Prespective.
  • The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences serves as a comprehensive reservoir of knowledge, focusing on a range of subjects related to library and information science.
  • Initially published between 1968 and 2003, the first edition spanned an impressive 73 volumes, with notable editors such as Allen Kent, Harold Lancour, and Jay E. Daily.
  • The second edition, expertly curated by Miriam Drake, was condensed into 4 volumes and released in 2003.
  • The third edition, under the guidance of Marcia J. Bates and Mary Niles Maack, comprised seven volumes and was published in 2010.
  • The fourth edition, led by John D. McDonald and Michael Levine-Clark, followed suit in 2017, also spanning seven volumes.
  • An analysis of the initial edition by Joseph C. Meredith encompassed a summary of thirty-nine earlier reviews, shedding light on the content and reception of the encyclopedia.
  • James D. Anderson's review of the second edition highlighted that it inherited certain issues from its predecessor, which were sometimes exacerbated.
  • In the case of the third edition, Tony Chalcraft's review emphasized the incorporation of over 400 new articles out of a total of 565, covering a broad spectrum of disciplines such as library and information science, archival science, museum studies, records management, bibliography, informatics, information systems, and social studies of information.

The Correct answer is 30 Volumes

Key PointsEncyclopedia Americana:

• ​The first edition was published in 1829–33 as a 13-volume set.
• The 1912 edition carried its title only “Americana”.
• The Encyclopedia provides concise articles on various subjects, particularly emphasizing American towns and cities and featuring numerous biographical sketches.
• A revised edition was released in 1918-20, offering a comprehensive multi-volume resource for general use.
• The 2005 Edition of The Encyclopedia Americana published in 30 Volumes comprises over 45,000 articles, some of substantial length (e.g., the "United States" article exceeds three hundred thousand words).
• These articles are authored by experts and presented in easily understandable language. With contributions from over six thousand individuals, most articles are signed by their respective contributors.

The Correct answer is Encyclopedia Britannica:

Key Points

•  Encyclopedia Britannica:
  • Its first edition was published in 1768-1771 in 3 volumes, a second edition was 10 volumes, and by its fourth edition (1801–1810) it had expanded to 20 volumes and was published in 1929, and has been revised with reorganization till 1973.
  • Britannica in 1985 was printed with a two-volume index, leading to an increase in its volumes. The new set of 32 volumes also re-numbered its volumes as follows;
    • Propedia: 1 volume; Propaedia acts as a guide to the Encyclopaedia, 
    • Macropaedia.: Micropaedia: 12 volumes: Micropaedia works as a detailed index to the Macropaedia and provides brief information with each entry
    • Macropaedia: 17 volumes, Macropaedia contains lengthy articles on different topics, and is meant for serious readers.
    • Index: 2 volumes.
  • The last print version was its 2010 edition.
  • Britannica Junior was first published in 1934 in 12 volumes.

Additional Information

• Encyclopedia Americana:
  • ​There have been three separate works using the title Encyclopedia Americana.
    • The first began publishing in 1829-33 by the German exile Francis Lieber.
    • A separate Encyclopedia Americana was published by J.M. Stoddart between 1883 and 1889.
    • In 1902, a new version in 16 volumes was published under the title Encyclopedia Americana, under the editorial supervision of Scientific American magazine.
  • Encyclopedia Americana online became first available in 1996.
• ​Encyclopedia Indica;
  • ​it is written by Jagdish Saran Sharma;
  • It was first published in 1981.
• ​The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology:
  • It was originally published in 1960:
  • The most recent edition in print is the eleventh edition, copyright 2012 comprising twenty volumes.

The correct answer is Institutional Directory.

Key Points

• Europa World of Learning is an Institutional Directory.
• It Started in the Year 1947 and is printed annually.
• It is published by Routledge, Taylor, and Francis Group
• It is the Online Version of the Classic Reference text in print.
• Its 71st Edition published in the Year 2021.

Additional Information

•  Professional Directory
  • It comprises information on Local and National/International Businesses and Professionals.
• Topographical Directory
  • ​It comprises of several countries, cities, and villages with historical and statistical data.
• ​​Telephonic Directory
  • ​​It comprises Telephonic Details and Local and National/international telephonic codes.

The correct answer is Newspaper Clippings.

Key Points Current Awareness Service

• Current awareness service (CAS) is an ongoing service that enables one to monitor new information on regular basis.
• Current awareness type of services meets the current information needs of the users.
• The purpose of this service is to alert the user about recent developments in her/his area of interest as early as possible.
• It generally contains list of journal articles, book titles, etc with no annotations or abstracts.
• It has newspaper type approach, hence, the entire list is meant for scanning.
• Since the list is not meant for permanent use, therefore, no attempt is made to do extensive indexing etc.
• Types of services offered under this category are:
  • Accession List / Current Awareness List/Documentation Bulletin
  • Title Announcement Service/Contents-by-Journal Service
  • Selective Dissemination of Information
  • Research-in-Progress Bulletin
  • Newspaper Clipping Service

The correct answer is Ebsco Host.

Key Points

Library Information Science Technology Abstracts (LISTA)

• ​Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) is an index of scholarship in library and information science. 
• It includes citations, indexing, and abstracts for journal articles, books, research reports, and conference proceedings.
• LISTA is available through EBSCOhost.
• It covers about 560 core journals, 50 priority journals, and 125 selective journals; in addition to books, research reports, and conference proceedings.
• Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s

The correct answer is "Monthly".

Key Points

• An abstract is a summary of the core content of documents that helps users to determine if they are required to read the entire document or not.

Additional Information

• LISA stands for "Library and Information Science Abstracts".
• It is an international abstracting and indexing tool designed for library professionals and other information specialists.
• It was founded in 1969. 
• Its update frequency is continuous when content is available.
• It is updated monthly with more than 1000 records added per update.
• It was originally published by Library Association (LA or LAUK), England.
• Presently, it is being published by ProQuest since 2007.
• It abstracts over 440 periodicals, from more than 68 countries and in more than 20 different languages.
• It covers the following major subject areas-
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Book reviews
  • CD-ROMs
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Information Centres
  • Information Management
  • Information Science
  • Information Storage
  • Information Technology
  • Internet Technology
  • Knowledge Management
  • Librarianship
  • Libraries and Archives
  • Library Management
  • Library Technology
  • Library use and users
  • Medical Information
  • Online Information retrieval
  • Publishing and Bookselling
  • Records Management
  • Telecommunications
  • Technical Services
  • World Wide Web​

The correct answer is the Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science.

Key Points

• It includes not only the terminology of the various specializations within library science and information studies but also the
  • the vocabulary of publishing,
  • printing,
  • binding,
  • the book trade,
  • graphic arts,
  • book history,
  • literature,
  • bibliography,
  • telecommunications, and
  • computer science
• It was created by Joan M. Reitz.
• ODLIS began at the Ruth Haas Library in 1994 as a four-page printed handout titled Library Lingo.
• In 1996, the text was expanded and converted to HTML format for installation on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
• ODLIS was published in print in 2004 under the title Dictionary for Library and Information Science.

The Correct answer is the Grid system.

Key Points

• General evaluation criteria of maps and atlases:
  • ​Authority
  • Scope
  • Arrangement
  • Currency
• The following are the special criteria that help in evaluating maps and atlases.
  • Scale
  • Projection
  • Location Key/Grid System
  • Type Face
  • Topography
  • Use of Colours
  • Binding

Additional Information

• Maps:
  • ​According to the ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science (1983), a map is a representation typically drawn to scale on a flat medium, depicting material or abstract features concerning the Earth's surface or another celestial body.
• Atlas:
  • ​According to ALA Glossary, an atlas is, "a volume of maps, plates, engravings, tables etc., with or without descriptive letter press. It may be an independent publication or it may have been issued to accompany one or more volumes of text."

The correct answer is Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

Key Points

• The first abstracting periodical was published in the field of "Pharmaceutical Chemistry.."
• It was the "Chemisches Zentralblatt," first published in 1830 in Germany.
• This abstracting service was designed to help professionals in the field keep track of the ever-growing body of chemical literature.

Additional Information

• Index Medicus publication began in 1879 and continued monthly
• Physics Abstract began in 1898.
• Chemical Abstract began in 1907
• Biological abstract began in 1927.

The correct answer is 2012.

Key Points

Encyclopaedia Britannica 

• ​The first edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica was published in 1768-1771 in 3 volumes.
• The fourteenth edition published in 1929 was revised and reorganised till 1973.
• In 1974, the fifteenth edition was published as the "New Encyclopaedia Britannica'' consisting of thirty volumes. It has three parts.
  • Propaedia - 1 volume
  • Micropaedia -10 volumes
  • Macropaeida - 19 volumes
• Printed for 244 years, the Britannica was the longest-running in-print encyclopaedia in the English language
• The 2010 version of the 15th edition, which spans 32 volumes and 32,640 pages, was the last printed edition. 
• 'Encyclopaedia Britannica ceased its print publication in the year 2012.
• Since 2016, it has been published exclusively as an online encyclopaedia.

The correct answer is News Digest.

Key Points 

• African Recorder is a News Digest.
• It is being published since 1962.
• It gives summaries of events in African Countries.

Additional Information

• Bibliography:
  • A bibliography is a systematically produced descriptive list of records.
  • The chief function of a bibliography is to help the users in locating the required information sources in the fastest possible manner.

• Biography
  • ​The reference consists of works that contain information about people.
  • These sources take care of diverse inquiries about a person, living or dead, with regard to his date and place of birth, nationality, educational background, professional achievements, and significant contributions.
• Directory
  • Lists of people or organizations are usually arranged alphabetically.
  • Some directories are arranged geographically or by subject.