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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Reference software</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For the software developer, see <a href="Reference_Software_International" title="Reference Software International">Reference Software International</a>.</div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Not to be confused with <a href="Reference_management_software" title="Reference management software">Reference management software</a> or <a href="Reference_implementation" title="Reference implementation">Reference implementation</a>.</div>
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<p><b>Reference software</b> is software which emulates and expands upon print reference forms including the <a href="Dictionary" title="Dictionary">dictionary</a>, <a href="Translation_dictionary" class="mw-redirect" title="Translation dictionary">translation dictionary</a>, <a href="Encyclopaedia" class="mw-redirect" title="Encyclopaedia">encyclopaedia</a>, <a href="Thesaurus" title="Thesaurus">thesaurus</a>, and <a href="Atlas" title="Atlas">atlas</a>. Like print references, reference software can either be general or specific to a domain, and often includes <a href="Map" title="Map">maps</a> and <a href="Illustration" title="Illustration">illustrations</a>, as well as <a href="Bibliography" title="Bibliography">bibliography</a> and <a href="Statistics" title="Statistics">statistics</a>. Reference software may include <a href="Multimedia" title="Multimedia">multimedia</a> content including animations, audio, and video, which further illustrate a concept. Well designed reference software improves upon the navigability of print references, through the use of search functionality and <a href="Hyperlink" title="Hyperlink">hyperlinks</a>.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Origins_and_development">Origins and development</h2></div>
<p>Many dictionaries and encyclopedias rushed into <a href="CD-ROM" title="CD-ROM">CD-ROM</a> editions soon after the widespread introduction of the <a href="CD-ROM" title="CD-ROM">CD-ROM</a> to home computers.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A second major development occurred as the internet also became widely available in homes, with reference works becoming available online as well. The conversion of previously print-only reference materials to electronic format marked a major change to the marketing and accessibility of such works. A striking case study is that of the venerable <a href="Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica" title="Encyclopædia Britannica">Encyclopædia Britannica</a>, which was previously only available at prices of USD 1500 and higher, restricting it to the better libraries and the wealthy. Today, the Encyclopædia Britannica and <a href="World_Book_Encyclopedia" title="World Book Encyclopedia">World Book Encyclopedia</a><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> retail in electronic format for around 50 USD, with cheaper <a href="Original_equipment_manufacturer" title="Original equipment manufacturer">OEM</a> versions sometimes bundled with new computers. Such dramatic changes brought conventionally restricted knowledge repositories to the fingertips of an almost universal audience in a period of less than 11 years.
</p><p>The opportunities brought by new media enticed new competitors into the reference software market. One of the earliest and most well-known was Microsoft <a href="Encarta" title="Encarta">Encarta</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> first introduced on CD-ROM and then also moving online along with other major reference works. In the dictionaries market, one of the more prolific brands was <a href="Merriam-Webster" title="Merriam-Webster">Merriam-Webster</a>, which released CD-ROM and then online versions of English dictionaries, <a href="Thesauri" class="mw-redirect" title="Thesauri">thesauri</a> and foreign language dictionaries.
</p><p>Since 2010, reference materials have begun to appear as apps on <a href="Smartphone" title="Smartphone">Smartphones</a>. In the field of <a href="English_as_a_foreign_or_second_language" class="mw-redirect" title="English as a foreign or second language">English as a foreign or second language</a>, this is seen as an interesting pedagogical development and is the subject of much discussion <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://ltsig.org.uk/component/content/article/3-newsflash/203-call-review-spring-2011.html">[1]</a>, as language learners increasingly abandon print dictionaries for online editions and apps like the one produced by <a href="Macmillan_Education" title="Macmillan Education">Macmillan Education</a><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/apps/">[2]</a>. A list of <a href="Electronic_dictionary" title="Electronic dictionary">online dictionaries</a><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is maintained under "<a href="Dictionary" title="Dictionary">dictionaries</a>".
</p><p>Wikipedia and its spin-offs (such as <a href="Wiktionary" title="Wiktionary">Wiktionary</a>) marked a new departure in educational reference software.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Previous encyclopedias and dictionaries had compiled their contents based on invited and closed teams of specialists. The <a href="Wiki" title="Wiki">Wiki</a> concept allowed anyone and everyone to join in creating and editing an online set of reference works.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Encarta" title="Encarta">Encarta</a> and other <a href="CD-ROM_encyclopedia" class="mw-redirect" title="CD-ROM encyclopedia">CD-ROM encyclopedias</a></li>
<li><a href="Comparison_of_reference_management_software" title="Comparison of reference management software">Comparison of reference management software</a></li>
<li><a href="Educational_software" title="Educational software">Educational software</a></li>
<li><a href="Lists_of_encyclopedias" title="Lists of encyclopedias">Lists of encyclopedias</a></li>
<li><a href="List_of_online_dictionaries" title="List of online dictionaries">List of online dictionaries</a></li>
<li><a href="List_of_online_encyclopedias" title="List of online encyclopedias">List of online encyclopedias</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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