Steps in Using an Encyclopedia

An encyclopedia, whether online or in book form, is a handy tool to gather information. You can learn a lot from an encyclopedia, as long as you know how to use it correctly. Using an encyclopedia requires research skills and book learning skills, and might require Internet skills, if that is the type of encyclopedia you will use.

Book Encyclopedia

Use a printed encyclopedia to gather information. Encyclopedias come in sets, because they contain too much information for one book. Look at the spines of the books to determine which book you are looking for. The spines are labeled with letters of the alphabet. Some encyclopedia sets have a book to correspond to each letter, but most are divided, such as "Aa-Bre," meaning that you can find information on subjects that falls between "Aa" and "Bre" in alphabetical order within that particular book.

Open the appropriate book and find the particular item you are looking for. In the top right hand corner of each page, you will find the item that the particular page is talking about. Continue using alphabetizing skills until you have found the page that you are looking for.

Read through the entry on the item that you are curious about. Encyclopedias have a wealth of information about each particular object. Take notes from the encyclopedia if needed, but remember to cite your sources correctly.

CD-Rom Encyclopedia

Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to find information about a particular topic. Open the CD-ROM case and put the CD-ROM in the player on your computer. Follow prompts to install the program if you choose to do this. Otherwise, click on the icon to open up the CD-ROM Encyclopedia. Find the "Search" bar, usually located at the top of the CD-ROM welcome page. Type in the name of the object you would like to research. Click "Enter" or "Search" and read the information that comes up. Take notes on the information, but be sure to cite your sources as you would a book encyclopedia.

Online Encyclopedia

Use an online encyclopedia for the most up to date information. Online encyclopedias are updated constantly, so current events, new discoveries and up-to-date research is included. Go to the online encyclopedia website. Usually, on the first page, there will be a search field. Type in the name of the object, event, or thing you would like to know more about. Read the information that is presented.

Understand that online encyclopedias can be full of information, but some of them are better than others. Certain encyclopedias allow users to input information as they wish. Although the information is eventually edited for truthfulness, there are still some aspects of information that might not be entirely truthful or that might be tainted by opinion. Use your judgment when using information found in an online encyclopedia.