Encyclopaedias, handbooks, dictionaries, collections and companions - Assessing collective works in sociology

Sociology has always included collective works for reference purposes alongside its more usual production of books, monographs and journal articles, but in recent years the steady provision of this form of publication has swollen into an outpouring. The essay discusses the characteristics of different types of collective works in English-speaking sociology, suggests interpretations that might explain the recent outpouring, draws out the implications for other work in sociology (especially the difficulties of quality control and reviewing this material) and speculates about the future of collective works in an increasingly Internet-orientated world of scholarship.