Have you ever been researching a topic for class and really needed an encyclopedia?  We’ve all been there, and often we click to Wikipedia. That sometimes is okay for getting you familiar with a topic, but for academic purposes, that source just isn’t reliable enough….even according to that online encyclopedia’s founder! (http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Wikipedia-Founder-Discourages/2305)

Fortunately, the IU East Campus Library subscribes to Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. This is a thorough and reliable encyclopedia assembled, like the old paper version, by the best minds in their fields.  Like many of the resources IU East subscribes to, it has been rigorously peer-reviewed and verified for accuracy.  Wikipedia is produced by its users – some are quite smart, others not so much.  The Encyclopaedia Britannica counts some of the world’s greatest scholars and scientists among its authors.

Much like Wikipedia, it is easy to navigate, and articles are full of direct links to other articles about the people, concepts, and things mentioned in them.  Photos, videos, and other illustrations appear with similar frequency.  Articles on current topics are also updated frequently, making the EBO more current than even the latest print edition of the Britannica.

So if you want a concise, but complete and informed summary of your topic, an excellent place to begin is the Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.  Check it out on our databases page at http://www.iue.edu/library/research/articles.php)!