Conducting Electronic Research

Reference Web site search engines are the online versions of the encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases and almanacs found in any library reference room. Some provide limited access for free and full access for a subscription fee. Others are completely free to the public.

Using one of these early in your research will help introduce you to the topic you've been assigned or provide you with a starting point from which to select a topic of your own liking. Reference searches are conducted in the same way as a simple or an advanced search. In other words they are keyword driven. Here is a short list of Reference search sites:

• Bartleby.com
• Encyclopedia.com
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• InfoPlease
• The Internet Public Library
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• MSN Encarta
• Wikipedia

View a demonstration of a reference site search using InfoPlease