The term sourcebook is used to describe many different kinds of books such as collections of core articles (i.e., anthology

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...

), bibliographies, biographies, printed archival sources, directories and so on. There seems to be no consensus in the application of this term.

Academic use

In American universities, a sourcebook, either a standard one or a custom collection, may function as a supplement or replacement for a textbook

Textbook

A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...

.

In American law schools, casebook

Casebook

A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools. Rather than simply laying out the legal doctrine in a particular area of study, a casebook contains excerpts from legal cases in which the law of that area was applied. It is then up to the student to analyze the language...

s are similar to sourcebooks, offering selections of legal cases and commentary, forming the basis for analysis and discussion.

Games

In games a sourcebook is a publication intended to supplement the core materials of a gaming

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

 product. Sourcebooks are most commonly used to complement role-playing games and some tabletop

Tabletop game

Tabletop game is a general term used to refer to board games, card games, dice games, miniatures wargames, tile-based games and other games that are normally played on a table or other flat surface...

 or wargaming

Wargaming

A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...

 series, and often contain optional rules, scenarios, or other materials that players can use to extend or enhance the central game.

Popular gaming series with many sourcebooks include:

• BattleTech
  BattleTech
  BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
  
  
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Shadowrun
  Shadowrun
  Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
  
  

Examples of different kinds of books termed "sourcebook"

• The regulations of the Financial Services Authority
  Financial Services Authority
  The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
  
  . The FSA Handbook contains many sourcebooks for different aspects of its regulation, for instance its rules on conduct of business for investment firms, the Conduct of Business Sourcebook ('COBS')
• Paul Halsall, editor The Internet History Sourcebooks Project

External links

• Hjørland, Birger (ed.). Source literature Core Concepts in Library and Information Science.