Book Reviews are notices, usually in a periodical publication, of a current book or play. Its purpose is to tell enough about the work under consideration to enable the reader to decide whether or not to read it. Therefore, it describes the subject matter, discusses the method and technical qualities, and may examine its value or usefulness when it is compared with similar works. Books provide many types of information, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will look for books that synthesize all the information on one topic to support a particular argument.
Dictionaries contain lists of words in alphabetical order.
The meanings of these words are given, as well as how they are pronounced. Some dictionaries may show how words are used in speech or writing and how the word came from other languages into our language. They also may trace the changes in the meaning of a word from the way it was used centuries ago to how it is now. Encyclopedias provide material on almost any subject normally encountered. They give summaries of all branches of knowledge.