Reference serials

Abstract

There is not enough space in this introduction to present a definitive analysis of the word serial, or even of the qualification of the term for this column, reference serial, and I would refer all such questions to the monographs treating the subject of serial bibliography. The purpose of this column simply is to review abstracting services, indexes, digests, serial bibliographies, loose‐leaf updating services, yearbooks, reviewing services, and annual guides and directories which are issued on a continuing basis for reference uses. Serials to be generally excluded from review in “Reference Serials” include monographic series, encyclopedic sets, proceedings, magazines and government publications, all of which are either treated elsewhere in RSR or other journals of the profession. There is no clear‐cut division that will define the coverage of this column since some series like annual reviews, which collect papers on a specific topic, deserve to be treated as reference serials, and some magazines are so highly specialized that they are in essence abstracts and indexes.

Citation

Centing, R.R. (1974), "Reference serials", Reference Services Review, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb048513