How to find encyclopedias
Library guides exist for many subjects and classes. Most of them include selected background sources or subject encyclopedias for each topic area.
Library catalogs can be searched with keyword 'encyclopedia' combined with a subject such as 'urban' or 'sociology' or 'women.'
Reference staff can also provide helpful suggestions!
Wikipedia: Watch Out!
Wikipedia can be very helpful in providing information about all kinds of topics. The footnotes and lists of external links provided at the end of many articles may lead to useful scholarly material.
CAUTION: The text of each article is not always accurate or authoritative. Look for a Talk tab at the top of an article for postings regarding quality.
Articles often reflect personal opinion and controversial interpretations of events and issues. Authors might not have a strong academic background in the subject matter of the articles they contribute.
Value of Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are great for:
- locating authoritative, peer-reviewed, high quality information
- choosing a topic
- educating yourself quickly
- gaining background information easily (major ideas, theories, events, people)
- identifying variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- finding a bibliography (list of important, selected references for further reading)
Sociology encyclopedias
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The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology by Call Number: Olin Library Reference (Non-Circulating) Oversize HM425 .B53 2007 + Vols 1-11Publication Date: Blackwell: 2007Brings together 1800 specially commissioned entries written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers. Contains brief and more detailed articles on both classical sociology and contemporary developments in the field, and introductions to sociological theories and research that have developed outside of the United States and Western Europe. The online version provides online additions three times a year, extending and updating coverage and functionality -
Encyclopedia of Sociology by Call Number: Olin Library Reference (Non-Circulating) HM17 .E56 2000 vols. 1-5Publication Date: Sage: 2000Classic reference source reflecting many changes in society and in the field of sociology. Articles cover core issues such as education, race, poverty, violence, and economics. Selective footnotes lead to further reading.
Online Encyclopedia Collections
Searchable databases containing hundreds of authoritative, peer-reviewed reference books and encyclopedias, covering the social sciences, can make searching for scholarly background information faster and easier.
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Sage KnowledgeA database of reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and education, including:
- Encyclopedia of Career Deveolpment
- Encyclopedia of Social Networks
- Social Network Analysis
