Wiktionary
n. A compendium of information, which is not intended to be read from beginning to end, and is compiled for ease of reference. Examples include encyclopedias and dictionaries.
WordNet
n. a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts; "he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic" [syn: reference book, reference, book of facts]
Wikipedia
A reference work is a book or periodical (or its electronic equivalent) 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 (e.g. Whitaker's Almanack, Who's Who). Reference works include dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, almanacs, bibliographies, and catalogs (e.g. catalogs of libraries, museums or the works of individual artists). Many reference works are available in electronic form and can be obtained as application software, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or online through the Internet.
A reference work is useful to its users if they attribute some degree of trust to the information regarding its level of accuracy, a degree that each user judges to be enough for their current purpose, at the price level they have paid (which may be zero or nonzero), but the degree of trust is neither absolute 100% nor zero.
Usage examples of "reference work".
He did major work on human personality and on memory which is still the standard reference work in his field.
The most useful one-volume reference work available to the contemporary student of addiction is Friberg and Mahler'.
This is a marvellous book, doubling as a handy reference work for anyone who wants to feast on the shockers of yesterday and today.
He stared at her a moment in sheer disbelief, then began the business of explaining 'library', 'book' and 'reference work'.
She spent time in the cabin consulting a voluminous reference work, one of the few items of written material aboard, apparently without result.
Among writings of general interest in connection with animal domestication, the standard encyclopedic reference work to the world's wild mammals is Ronald Nowak, ed.
Commander Ridolfi, I the prosecuting attorney ask you: Is it true or not, that you have compiled your so-called reference work virtually entirely from EG?
He's not entirely satisfied to get his facts out of a standard reference work or encyclopedia.
Nor have I any desire to ask Bruno my keeper for a reference work on East German brick Gothic.
Somewhere in Library there was a reference work on Subsequents, at least as far as mahendo'sat understood stsho personality changes.