« back
Encyclopedias are collections of short, factual entries (articles) often written by different contributors who are knowledgeable about the topic. There are two types of encyclopedias -- general and subject. General encyclopedias provide concise overviews on a wide variety of topics. Subject encyclopedias contain in-depth entries focusing on one field of study.
Encyclopedias published in electronic format are much easier to use than printed versions, as they are much easier to search. For this reason, large general encyclopedias will no longer appear in print.
Use an Encyclopedia
- to get a general introduction to a topic
- to find definitions of concepts
- to check important historical events and dates
- to check biographical data of important persons
Examples
- Encyclopaedia Britannica (general encyclopedia)
- Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia (subject encyclopedia)
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.
Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. Anyone with internet access can make changes to Wikipedia articles. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference web sites.
Wikipedia's intent is to have articles that cover existing knowledge, not create new knowledge (original research). This means that people of all ages and cultural and social backgrounds can write Wikipedia articles. Most of the articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet.
Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning and researching information. However, as with all sources, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, or unbiased. You should not use only Wikipedia for primary research. Many of the general rules of thumb for conducting research apply to Wikipedia, including:
- Always be wary of any one single source (in any medium - web, print, television or radio), or of multiple works that derive from a single source.
- Where articles have references to external sources (whether online or not) read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says.
Wikipedia itself offers an excellent page on using Wikipedia for research