Evaluating Referencing Tools
Encyclopedia
The encyclopedia is a kind of referencing tool that provides general background information, including definitions, facts, dates, and details. Through encyclopedia, researchers can gain general background information that can enable them to focus their research on a particular area of the discipline under study (Williams & Davis, 2017). In addition to providing quick access to crucial factual information and crucial statistical information, an encyclopedia also provides references to other sources of information that can enable guided researchers in their study. Encyclopedias also provide a definition of technical terms with straight to the point and short summaries of all topics a researcher can be interested in.
Encyclopedias always have answers to almost everything anyone might be interested in finding out. There are two types of encyclopedia: these are general encyclopedia and the subject encyclopedia (Williams & Davis, 2017). A general encyclopedia is a multi-volume reference work that with almost all topics that have ever been researched in the universe. It utilizes the alphabetic order of arrangement in organizing all articles per topic. Some examples include the Cambridge encyclopedia, encyclopedia Britannica, and encyclopedia Americana. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
On the other hand, subject encyclopedias are presented per discipline and assume prior knowledge of a specific subject or discipline. They provide in-depth information with well-elaborated technical terms than a general encyclopedia. Some examples include the international encyclopedia of social science, encyclopedia of philosophy, and encyclopedia of world art.
Availing materials online has been an emerging trend in the contemporary world. Organizations try to adopt online service deliveries, including those involved in the education sector. Reading materials such as books, articles, and magazines are published online where; the majority of the consumers in the current generation can easily access them. Such is the trend that the encyclopedia Britannica has developed. Encyclopedia Britannica is a general encyclopedia with a total of over 75,000 articles with a total of over 23,000 bibliographies. Its articles are collected from over 7000 periodicals and magazines. This online platform has been linked to over 166,000 websites, and it has over 27,000 maps and images (Grabus, Greenberg, Logan & Boone, 2019). The website’s main page is divided into three parts. The right side is the research tool side with a browsing index of A-Z. It also allows for browsing per subject, comparison of countries, world data, and essential questions. The middle section allows users to review highlights, the day in history, and the biography of the day. The left side has links to news platforms such as BBC and New York Times.
One major advantage of the encyclopedia is the range of information it covers. Encyclopedias always reveal a broad spectrum of belief systems, ideologies, and cultures. Additionally, encyclopedias always give room for cross-referencing of information hence forge relationship either from functional or logical angles. On the other hand, one disadvantage of encyclopedias is that it does not give adequate information due to its precise nature.
New Britannica encyclopedia is an online platform that is relatively easy to use. When online, an individual needs to google New Britannica encyclopedia and gain access to the main page of the website. At the main page on the right, there is the research tool with a different browsing index. One can browse per subject or type the topic on the user interface provided and choose from the numerous topics that will be availed. However, for full access to these information, an individual needs to be officially registered with the site.
References
Williams, K., & Davis, M. (2017). The research process and referencing tools. Referencing & Understanding Plagiarism, 18-25. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-53072-1_3
Grabus, S., Greenberg, J., Logan, P., & Boone, J. (2019). Representing Aboutness: Automatically Indexing 19th-Century Encyclopedia Britannica Entries. NASKO, 7(1), 138-148.