Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias contain factual articles on many subjects.

There are two types of encyclopedias -- general and subject. General encyclopedias provide overviews on a wide variety of topics. Subject encyclopedias contain entries focusing on one field of study, usually signed by at least one academic scholar in a related field.

A lot of subject encyclopedias are available online in Gale Virtual Reference Library or Infobase eBooks.  The Research Starters you may come across in OneSearch are also subject encylcopedia articles.

Use an Encyclopedia

• when looking for background information on a topic
• when trying to find key ideas, important dates or concepts

Examples

• Encyclopedia of Anthropology (subject encyclopedia)
• Encyclopedia Americana (general encyclopedia)