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Subject Encyclopedias

Subject Encyclopedias:

• cover one subject in-depth;

• contain articles usually written by subject scholars and experts;

• always cite sources of information;

• are written at college or higher reading level;

• are usually acceptable sources for college-level papers.

General Encyclopedias:

• cover a little bit on all subjects;
• contain articles usually written by journalists or staff writers;
• rarely cite sources of information;
• are usually written at a 7th grade reading level;
• are generally not appropriate to cite in college-level papers.

Four good reasons to use subject encyclopedias:

• Get an overview of your topic from a reliable source.
• Gather valuable keywords (words, phrases, names, dates and events.)
• Find related topics using the cross-references.
• Find related articles using the sources.

Tips 

Subject Encyclopedias:

• are not meant to be read cover to cover;
• often have many volumes with hundreds or thousands of pages;
• often include useful appendices, reading guides, and other “extras.”

Find Subject encyclopedias in both print and digital format:

• Print Subject Encyclopedias are:
  • shelved in the reference section,
  • arranged by call number,
  • findable through the library catalog.
• Digital Subject Encyclopedias are:
  • NOT available free by searching Google or any other search engine,
  • ARE available on the library’s website (because the library buys them for you to access).