Encyclopedias

Comprehensive, authoritative works containing articles on a wide range of subjects.

Sub-headings:

FAQ Archives

Resources in this category:

The Britannica Concise
http://www.britannica.com/

This free short-entry encyclopedia does not have as much content as the full Encyclopaedia Britannica (it's based on the one-volume printed Merriam-Webster Collegiate Encylopedia), but it does offer a searchable and browsable collection of more than 25,000 entries on a variety of topics. Plus, it's free!

A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names
http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/

"This is a concise guide to technical terms and personal names often encountered in the study of philosophy. Although its entries are extremely brief, many of them include links to electronic versions of philosophical texts and to more detailed discussions located elsewhere on this site or in other on-line resources."

Encyberpedia
http://www.encyberpedia.com/ency.htm

An annotated listing of subject-oriented encyclopedias available on the Web.

The Encyclopedia of Earth
http://www.eoearth.org/

A comprehensive, authoritative, and thorough resource all about our Earth and relationship to it. Articles written by experts and scholars

Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology
http://www.rp-photonics.com/encyclopedia.html

This is a freely accessible encyclopedia, explaining in-depth the terms and principles of topics such as laser physics, nonlinear optics, and fiber technology. The articles are arranged alphabetically by topic, and includes reference citations for further research.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian
http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/start.htm

"The Smithsonian Institution receives a great many public inquiries covering a wide range of topics. Therefore, the following responses have been compiled to answer frequently asked questions or to provide guidance in finding the requested information. New information will be added continually." Topics covered: Armed Forces History, Anthropology, Mineral Sciences, Musical History, Physical Sciences, Services, Textiles Conservation, Trasportation History, and Vertebrate Zoology.

Encyclopedia.Com
http://www.encyclopedia.com/

Free access to reference works such as The Columbia Encyclopedia, Oxford's World Encyclopedia, and the Encyclopedia of World Biography and many others. Contains free citations and excerpts to periodical articles. You have to pay money to read full text of articles.

Factbites: Where results make sense.
http://www.factbites.com/

Factbites is a hybrid of a search engine and an online encyclopedia that provides coherent sentences and links to related topics in the results.

The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

This website provides access to English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, and Russian dictionaries; English-language Medical, Legal, and Financial dictionaries; a Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, and other language resources.

glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture
http://www.glbtq.com/

This is an online encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, focusing on topics in arts, literature, and social science. Entries include contributor information, links to related entries, and bibliographies. The site also includes special features and a discussion board.

How Products Are Made
http://www.madehow.com/

Ever wonder how products are made? Come to this site and learn about the manufacture of things as diverse as chewing gum, blue jeans, vacuum cleaners, paint, fireworks, refrigerators, and artificial snow. This online encyclopedia contains 7 volumes of different items.

Infoplease: All the Knowledge You Need
http://www.infoplease.com/

Online version of the popular almanac. Provides a wealth of facts, resources, and activities on a variety of subjects. An encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus, and atlas, all in one! Includes the Random House Websters College Dictionary and the Columbia Encyclopedia.

Jewish Virtual Library
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/

This online encyclopedia has extensive information on Jewish history, culture, politics, religion, and Israel-U.S. relations. Resources include publications, maps, and statistics.

LoveToKnow 1911 Edition Encyclopedia
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/

This free online encyclopedia is based on the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Each entry, written by an expert in the field, contains a detailed article and bibliography. Users can look for articles alphabetically or search the site.

The New Georgia Encyclopedia
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Home.jsp

An encyclopedic collection of articles on the people, places, events and institutions of Georgia. "Opens a window on Georgia's rich history, diverse culture, and still unfolding story."

Open-Site: The Open Encyclopedia Project
http://open-site.org/

This website is run by volunteer editors and accepts content submissions from the public. Open-Site's content is freely available to the public. It covers general interest topics ranging from arts to computers to sports. There is also a kid's encyclopedia. The content is available in over 30 languages.

Scholarpedia: The free peer reviewed encyclopedia
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Main_Page

Offering very scholarly articles on very complex subjects, Scholarpedia improves on the anyone-can-edit idea of Wikipedia by making sure that the original author of all of its articles is an expert on the subject, that each article is peer-reviewed, and that any revisions of an article is first approved of by the original author.

Zimmerman's Research Guide
http://www.lexisnexis.com/infopro/zimmerman/default.aspx

Provides an Online Encyclopedia for Legal Researchers.