A reference work is a work such as a book or periodical to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end. The writing style used in these works is informative; the authors avoid use of the first person, and emphasize facts. Many reference works are compiled by a team of contributors whose work is coordinated by one or more editors rather than by an individual author. Indices are commonly provided in many types of reference work. Updated editions are usually published as needed, in some cases annually. Reference works include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, bibliographies, biographical sources, catalogs such as library catalogs and art catalogs, concordances, directories such as business directories and telephone directories, discographies, filmographies, glossaries, handbooks, indices such as bibliographic indices and citation indices, manuals, research guides, thesauruses, and yearbooks. Many reference works are available in electronic form and can be obtained as reference software, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or online through the Internet.
Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or thesis' form. The part of academic written output that is not formally published but merely printed up or posted on the Internet is often called "grey literature". Most scientific and scholarly journals, and many academic and scholarly books, though not all, are based on some form of peer review or editorial refereeing to qualify texts for publication. Peer review quality and selectivity standards vary greatly from journal to journal, publisher to publisher, and field to field.
An academic or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and discussion of research. They are usually peer-reviewed or refereed. Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research, review articles, and book reviews. The purpose of an academic journal, according to Henry Oldenburg, is to give researchers a venue to "impart their knowledge to one another, and contribute what they can to the Grand design of improving natural knowledge, and perfecting all Philosophical Arts, and Sciences."
Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences, and within an academic field, often abbreviated as the literature. Academic publishing is the process of contributing the results of one's research into the literature, which often requires a peer-review process.
A command paper is a document issued by the UK Government and presented to Parliament.
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the society has been a forum, through lectures, its journal, and other publications, for scholarship relating to Asian culture and society of the highest level. It is the United Kingdom's senior learned society in the field of Asian studies. Fellows of the society are elected regularly. Fellows include highly accomplished and notable scholars of Asian studies. They use the post-nominal letters FRAS.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journal in the world exclusively devoted to science, and therefore also the world's longest-running scientific journal. It became an official society publication in 1752. The use of the word philosophical in the title refers to natural philosophy, which was the equivalent of what would now be generally called science.
The Royal Economic Society (RES) is a professional association that promotes the study of economic science in academia, government service, banking, industry, and public affairs. Originally established in 1890 as the British Economic Association, it was incorporated by royal charter on December 2, 1902. The society is a charity registered with the U.K. Charity Commission under charity number 231508.
Grey literature is materials and research produced by organizations outside of the traditional commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include reports, working papers, government documents, white papers and evaluations. Organizations that produce grey literature include government departments and agencies, civil society or non-governmental organizations, academic centres and departments, and private companies and consultants.
The Economic Journal (EJ) is a peer-reviewed academic journal of economics published on behalf of the Royal Economic Society (RES) by Oxford University Press. First published in 1891, the EJ is one of the founding journals of economics and has a worldwide reputation for excellence in its field. The EJ publishes papers from all areas of economics and has eight issues a year.
George Samuel Newth (1851–1936) was an English chemist, best known for a series of popular chemistry books.
Sir (Laurence) Dudley Stamp, CBE, DSc, D. Litt, LLD, Ekon D, DSc Nat, was professor of geography at Rangoon and London, and one of the internationally best known British geographers of the 20th century.
William Ernest Dalby, FRS was a British engineer.
Astronomy & Geophysics (A&G) is a scientific journal and trade magazine published on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) by Oxford University Press. It publishes a mixture of content of interest to astronomers and geophysicists: news reports, interviews, topical reviews, historical investigations, obituaries, meeting reports and updates on the activities of the RAS. Full-length articles are peer reviewed.
The British Humanities Index is a database published by ProQuest that indexes journals, magazines, and newspapers published in Great Britain and other English-speaking countries. The Oxford guide to library research described it as a "particularly good British source," stating that it had "headings of its own devising." It covers more than 400 periodicals beginning in 1962. Walford stated in 1985 that "BHI's title is something of a misnomer, since its c375 titles indexed include some 68 social science periodicals, plus a sprinkling of Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand titles." A guide for scientific researchers advised "don't let the [BHI's] title put you off using this index; it has some excellent references to general scientific articles."
Robert Walpole (1781–1856) was an English classical scholar.
The National Early Music Association (NEMA) of the UK was founded in 1981. Its declared aims are "to bring together all concerned with early music and to forge links with other early music organisations in the UK and around the world". Francis Knights is Chairman and the management is in the hands of an elected Council. Several eminent musicians have chaired the Association in the past, including Christopher Page, Peter Holman and the late Clifford Bartlett.
Nellie Barbara Eales was a British zoologist. She was a senior lecturer at the University of Reading and published research papers on a variety of zoological topics as well as a two volume catalogue on Professor F. J. Cole's extensive library.
Dr Alexander James Kent, known as Alex Kent, is a British cartographer, geographer and academic. He is Reader in Cartography and Geographical Information Science at Canterbury Christ Church University and a Senior Research Associate of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford.
