Encyclopedias

Directory of the Best Online Encyclopedias. Many specialized sources that are peer-reviewed open-access encyclopedia written by scholars from around the world.
  1. Ancient History Encyclopedia – This is the world’s leading general history online resource, covering all time periods of human history on a global scale. Education is at the core of what they do, which is why they are working to develop more useful tools and resources for teachers and students as well as the general population too.
  2. AllRefer.com Reference – “AllRefer.com provides articles in all areas of topics within Earth & Environment, History, Literature & Arts, Health & Medicine, People, Philosophy & Religion, Places, Plants & Animals, Science & Technology, Social Science, Law, Sports, Everyday Life, and more. Includes North America gazetteer and other reference works.”
  3. CIA World Factbook – “The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities. Our Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map.’
  4. Britannica Online – “Explore the updated online encyclopedia from Encyclopedia Britannica with hundreds of thousands of articles, biographies, videos, images, and web sites.”
  5. The Canadian Encyclopedia – Site provides the full text of the Canadian Encyclopedia, containing the efforts of over 3800 contributors from all parts of Canada.
  6. Catholic Encyclopedia, The – “One of the biggest Catholic resources on the Internet, containing more than 10,000 articles.”
  7. Country Reports – “Established in 1997 out of a love for international relations and culture. Entirely online, we offer more than 35,000 pages of content on the countries of the world. Our cultural, historical and statistical information has proven to be valuable to students, parents, teachers, and researchers alike.”
  8. Encyclopedia.com – “Encyclopedia.com: Online dictionary and encyclopedia with pictures, facts, and videos. Get information and homework help with millions of articles in our FREE, online library.”
  9. Encyclopedia Astronautica – “Encyclopedia Astronautica the most complete resource for space history – rockets spacecraft launch vehicles astronauts cosmonauts spaceflights engines space exploration.”
  10. Encyclopedia of Psychology – “The Encyclopedia of Psychology is a collection of links to many areas of psychology. Our intent is to offer the best available sites organized to further the understanding of Psychology as a science.”
  11. Encyclopedia Smithsonian – “Links to on-line Smithsonian Resources from Art to Zoology.”
  12. Techweb TechEncyclopedia – “Supplied by the Computer Language Company Inc., the Tech Encyclopedia has more than 18,000 definitions and explanations written in plain English on topics ranging from PCs, Macs, UNIX, networking, client/server, graphics, multimedia, Internet, World Wide Web, objects, major products and vendors, acronyms, buzzwords … and much, much more.”
  13. Encyclopedia of Television – “The Encyclopedia of Television includes more than 1,000 original essays from more than 250 contributors and examines specific programs and people, historic moments and trends, major policy disputes and such topics as violence, tabloid television and the quiz show scandal. It also includes histories of major television networks as well as broadcasting systems around the world and is complemented by resource materials, photos and bibliographical information.”
  14. Encyclopedia Titanica – This on line resource is for anyone interested in the Titanic. You can read over 2,100 individual passenger and crew biographies, browse the regularly updated passenger and crew listings, read exclusive articles by leading historians or join in discussions about Titanic research in a message board.
  15. Home Improvement Resources- Better Homes and Gardens – “Inspiration to create bathrooms, kitchens, garages, home offices, decks, and patios you’ll love. We also have home plans, weekend projects, storage solutions, and more.”
  16. Information Please Encyclopedia – “A current and comprehensive encyclopedia covering all the major branches of knowledge from astrophysics to Zimbabwe.”
  17. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – “The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization to provide open access to detailed, scholarly information on key topics and philosophers in all areas of philosophy.”
  18. Jewish Encyclopedia – “This website contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, which was originally published between 1901-1906. The Jewish Encyclopedia, which recently became part of the public domain, contains over 15,000 articles and illustrations.”
  19. KickassFacts: Fact Encyclopedia – “Great knowledge base of facts. PicFacts, Random Facts, Life Pro TIps, You Should Knows, Infographics, AskUs, Advice and More.”
  20. Legal Encyclopedia: Nolo.com – “Hundreds of free articles on everyday legal topics. Our articles are always accurate, up to date, and written in plain English.”
  21. Mathematics Encyclopedia – What is an abacus? What did Euclid discover? Find answers to these and other questions with this browsable math encyclopedia.
  22. Medical Encyclopedia: Medline Plus – “The A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia includes over 4,000 articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries. It also contains an extensive library of medical photographs and illustrations.”
  23. Refdesk: Facts Encyclopedia Resources
  24. Plant Encyclopedia of Plants – “This comprehensive database of over 38,000 plants can be searched using common plant names, botanical or family names. Detailed plant care sheets include information on growing conditions, common pests and diseases.”
  25. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  26. Symbols.com – world’s largest online encyclopedia of over 2500 graphic symbols/
  27. What is DNA?: DNA Encyclopedia – “What is DNA is a public research project launched by a group of biology enthusiasts. Our main goal is to show the importance of DNA knowledge.”
  28. Wikipedia – “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”