How to Use a Print Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a reference tool that allows you to look up information and facts on your topic of choice. It contains information on subjects in every field. Depending on the subject material it can contain one or many volumes. Learning to use it properly can save you time and energy on your research. The print form of an encyclopedia can be found in school and public libraries.
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Instructions
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Choose your research topic. This will help you choose what encyclopedia volume to use for your research.
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Look at the spine of the encyclopedia books to determine which book you need for your topic. The encyclopedia spines are labeled with letters of the alphabet and some sets have a book to correspond to each letter. If your research topic is "plants" then you will need to find the encyclopedia labeled with a "P."
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Select the appropriate book for your topic. The topics are listed in alphabetical order at the top of each page. Flip through the pages until you reach your topic.
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Use the index to locate your topic. It is usually located in the back of the book and it directs the reader to all the names and subjects on which the book has information.
It gives you the page numbers and volume numbers to locate the article you are researching.
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Read the article and take plenty of notes. Most libraries will not allow you to check out encyclopedias.
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References
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