Pull it Together
Good reasons to use subject encyclopedias
- read a broad overview of a topic
- explore a topic before spending time on in-depth research
- find articles that are more in-depth than in general encyclopedias
- find one in almost every subject area
- find articles on specific topics within a subject area
- learn words, phrases, names, dates, and events that can be used as keywords for searching a database.
- use bibliographies in articles to find other sources
- use cross-references to find related topics
- use information written by experts or scholars
Subject encyclopedias are a favorite type of tool for many librarians. As soon as you mention a topic to a librarian, his or her brain will start thinking about the best subject encyclopedia for your topic. You'll hurt your librarian's feelings if you turn up your nose at these marvelous tools.
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