Locating
Background Information: Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are useful for getting
background information and an overview
of current research on a topic. They
also provide a bibliography - a selected
list of additional reading materials,
chosen for their importance and comprehensiveness.
Often the most efficient way to get
started with research on a particular
topic is to consult an encyclopedia.
General Encyclopedias
Specialized/Subject-Specific
Encyclopedias
Periodical Articles
from Full-text Databases
General
Encyclopedias
For more general background information,
you may wish to consult the online
version of Encyclopaedia
Britannica. Additionally, the Reference
Collection has a variety of general
encyclopedias in the 030 call number
area.
Specialized/Subject-Specific
Encyclopedias
To locate encyclopedias for specific
subjects, do a subject heading search
in the online
catalog for your subject, followed
by the word "encyclopedias."
For example:
If you wanted to find encyclopedias for philosophy,
your search would look like this: "philosophy
encyclopedias."
There are hundreds of specialized
encyclopedias. Subject
guides are available on the library's
home page, which identify some
of the specialized subject-specific
encyclopedias for each of the disciplines
listed.
Periodical
Articles from Full-text Databases
Sometimes articles in newspapers or
general interest periodicals (Newsweek,
Time, National Geographic, etc.)
can provide a quick overview of a subject.
Use one of the library's full-text
databases to find such articles. For
more information about locating articles
in periodicals, see Locating
Periodical Articles.
|
