Reference tools are essential both at the beginning of the research work and during its development.

A reference tool is a quick – to – use book which, differently from a bibliography, can be used directly, without consulting other information sources. Even though a reference tool may refer to other sources of information, this is not its main aim.

Reference tools usually include sections aimed at providing information, such as indexes, that refer to information included in other parts of it. Most of the time, reference tools cannot be efficiently used without employing those sections devoted to provide access to information. Therefore, it is important to consult indexes and the other sections devoted to access keys.

The Library owns many reference tools; librarians will help you identify those that may gradually be most useful.

Among the most important categories of reference tools you can find: