Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias and general/background sources are excellent for gathering information at the beginning of the research cycle. Background sources are any sources that provide a broad overview of a topic including but not limited to encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases. They can provide important dates and names. They can also provide alternate terms and related issues to help a researcher better understand the scope of a topic. Background sources can help a researcher develop a set of keywords and phrases and key ideas which will help with further searches.

Encyclopedias are reference sources. As explained above, reference sources are designed to be consulted, not read from beginning to end. They provide factual background information to answer a specific question.

There are two types of encyclopedias - general encyclopedias and subject specific encyclopedias.

• General encyclopedias attempt to provide an information for the general reader about a large range of topics. World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica are examples of general encyclopedias.
• Subject specific encyclopedias focus on a narrower range of topics. A subject specific encyclopedia will provide information on topics of specific interest to the subject. The language may be more complex and the ideas may also be more complex as they focus on providing specialized information. Examples of subject specific encyclopedias are The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Physics and The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins.

Encyclopedias can be found in various forms but they are still considered encyclopedias. At SJR, we have encyclopedias in print, ebooks, and databases. There are also several excellent open source encyclopedias. In NoodleTools, you would cite an encyclopedia as a Reference Source.