Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition offers two ways to access information.
1. You can search all the content at once to see results for students of every level.
2. You can choose a library appropriate for your level: eg.
· Encyclopædia Britannica for adults. This has the complete text of Britannica, plus weblinks, journals, video and animation.
· Britannica Student for secondary/middle school students and up.
· Britannica Junior for primary school students and up: with simpler articles and larger text.
You can also explore a dictionary and thesaurus, atlases, timelines, and other features -- all at the appropriate level. Double clicking on any word gets you the dictionary definition. The main Britannica site also has links to current news from the ABC and BBC websites.
If you go to the home page and enter a search without specifying which version you want, the answers will appear in three colums to match the three levels of encyclopedia, and on the right hand side you will have options to search for journal articles, additional content such as the Web’s best sites and multimedia.
Standard Search:
1. Select the main “Encyclopedia Britannica”: type a word or phrase in the search box. Click Go to begin the search.
3. Search results from Encyclopædia Britannica will display as the default. Click the link to the article when you find one of interest.
4. Choose a content source from the list on the left to see more results. When you find an image, video, Web site, or magazine article click the link to read more. If you have trouble finding what you want, read the Tips for Better Results below.
Advanced Search:
Using advanced search will allow you to easily construct complex queries, increase the number of results displayed on a page, or change the content that will display first in your search results.
1. Click the Advanced Search link on the Encyclopædia Britannica home page or from the top of any Encyclopædia Britannica article page. Note: The Advanced Search feature is not available in the Britannica Student and Britannica Junior sections.
2. Enter words in as many search fields in whatever combination necessary to create your query.
3. If you'd like to change the number of results, use the menu on the right.
4. If you'd like to change the default search result, use the buttons at the bottom of the page.
5. Click Go when you have enter all the parameters for your search.
Tips for Better Results
“Order of Search” Results
Search results are ranked to ensure that the closest match to the word or phrase you searched appears at or near the top of the list. Encyclopedia articles with all your search terms in the title appear first, followed by articles with all the terms in the text of the article. Next are listed articles with any of your search terms in the title, followed by those with any of the terms in the text of the article. For the best results, enter specific terms or multiple words in the search box. You will find better results for Abraham Lincoln if you enter his full name than if you search for Lincoln.
NOTE: Using Advanced Search can change the ordering of search results.
Using Quotation Marks
Use quotation marks around words or phrases if you want them to appear word for word in your search results. For example, if you are interested in the American Civil War and you do not want to see results for other civil wars, type "American Civil War" in the Search Box.
Nicknames or Alternate Titles
For Encyclopædia Britannica, with its longer and more complex articles, the search engine also identifies matches to nicknames and alternate titles. You can search on JFK to find articles on John F. Kennedy.
Practice Searches
Go to the home page and enter the word “manatee” in each of the three different levels of the encyclopaedia. Not the differences in content and presentation.
Double click on the word “manatee” – you’ll see how you are taken directly to the dictionary.
Now try the options available by clicking on the “Additional Content” and “Multimedia” options.
In the main “Britannica” go to “Advanced Search” and note the search options available there. Try to find a multimedia article about tortoises from the Galapagos Islands.
Also at the main Britannica, select “World Data” and find a country snapshot for Belgium. What is the current population?
Then select “Country Comparisons” >”Current Comparisons”: select and add Australia and Saudi Arabia; compare whichever data interests you and create a table.