reference guides
Lookup resource books
Reference guides are documents or books designed for quick consultation rather than continuous reading.
Unlike tutorials or textbooks, they assume familiarity with a subject and provide organized information for lookup: Keep the reference guide handy while you work.
Common examples include style manuals, API documentation, and field identification guides.
- handbooksCompact reference volumes
- encyclopediasMulti-volume knowledge collections
- glossariesLists defining specialized terms
- compendiumsConcise collected works
- manualsInstructional reference documents
owner's manual · indexes · field guides · dictionaries · thesauruses · user manuals · almanacs · student handbooks · study aids · style guides · look it up · textbooks · online encyclopedias · FAQ section · catalogs · bibliographies · appendices · technical manuals
- learning resourcestutorials, library, textbook, guides, study guides
- teaching materialsteaching manuals, teacher manuals, worksheets, lesson plans, teacher editions
- referencesreferences, dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, handbook
- documentationmanual, manuals, user guides, user manual, user manuals
- job aidschecklists, cheat sheets, tip sheets, cue cards, step-by-step instructions
- technical docsuser manuals, user guides, software manuals, troubleshooting guides, maintenance manuals
reference guidesnovels
Extended prose fiction
page-turners · stories · memoirs · narrative nonfiction · biographies
reference guidesnarrative nonfiction
Fact-based prose using fictional techniques
reference guidesleisure reading
Unpressured engagement with texts
escapist fiction · literary fiction · bedtime stories · guilty pleasures