Encyclopedia articles contain factual articles on many subjects. Although encyclopedia articles may have been a major source for research in high school, in college you'll use sources that contain more depth. Use encyclopedias only for background information or an overview of your topic

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.

At University Libraries, encyclopedias are available in print or electronic format.

Use an Encyclopedia...

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

Examples of Encyclopedias (click the hotlink for more information about each title):