Reference Sources and Information Services
What the domain covers
Reference sources answer factual queries; information services connect users to the right source at the right time. The exam tests source types, evaluation and service names.
Core rules and concepts
- Primary sources: original research, theses, patents, standards.
- Secondary sources: indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, encyclopedias.
- Tertiary sources: yearbooks, almanacs, directories, guides.
- Reference service: ready reference and long-range reference.
- Current Awareness Service (CAS) and Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI): CAS alerts users to new items; SDI matches profiles to incoming documents.
- Evaluation: authority, currency, accuracy, objectivity, coverage, audience.
Worked example
Query: "What is the latest literacy rate of Maharashtra?" Reasoning: do not use a general encyclopedia, which may be dated. Use the Economic Survey of Maharashtra or Census of India tables; check the year and definition. If the user needs a trend, combine Census data with a statistical abstract. Record the source and date in the answer.
Traps that cost marks
Do not call Wikipedia a primary source; do not confuse a yearbook (annual facts) with an almanac (calendar and miscellany); do not use SDI as a synonym for CAS. Marks are lost for ignoring currency-reference answers must cite the edition or year.