Biographies Statistical Sources Quiz Encyclopedias Encyclopedias can be very useful sources for locating information on a research topic. Although we discussed how to use online databases and print magazine indexes first in this Tutorial , we actually recommend that you start your research using an encyclopedia.
Encyclopedias come in different forms.
There are general encyclopedias such as World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica which cover a wide range of knowledge. Most of us have probably used a general encyclopedia in high school, or own one at home. General encyclopedias are written for the average layperson and are targeted for junior and senior high school students. We will not cover general encyclopedias in this Tutorial . However, general encyclopedias can be quite valuable for gathering background information on a topic.