Encyclopedia Britannica (2024)

FAQs

How reliable is the Encyclopedia Britannica? ›

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A.J. Jacobs was not the first to read the entire Britannica. The earliest recorded example was Fath Ali, who upon becoming the Shah of Persia in 1797, was given a gift of the 3rd edition of the Britannica.

Undergraduates are rarely permitted to cite encyclopedia articles. Ask your professor if you plan to do so. The reason for this prohibition has to do with the function of reference works. Encyclopedias are best suited to providing background information rather than in-depth analysis or novel perspective.

For serious errors, such as misinterpretations of important concepts, 4 were found in Wikipedia, and 4 in Britannica (1:1). The study concluded that "Wikipedia comes close to Britannica in terms of the accuracy of its science entries", although Wikipedia's articles were often "poorly structured".

Encyclopedias are considered a scholarly source because the content is almost always written by scholars on the subject. However, the entries are not written for other scholars but for a general audience. Entries are reviewed by an editorial board, but they are not “peer-reviewed”.

Authors of articles in general encyclopedias, or encyclopedias that cover all subject areas (such as the Encyclopedia Britannica), are not always listed. There are few situations in which you would list an entire encyclopedia in your references; you will need to list the individual article(s) that you consulted.

Elon Musk was raised by books. He often spent several hours a day reading science fiction because it was an opportunity to peer into humanity's future among the stars, per CNBC. “It's said he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica at age nine and would pore through science fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day.”

Long before he became the CEO of Tesla, and even before he cofounded PayPal, a young Elon Musk was reading science-fiction novels for up to 10 hours a day. He also reportedly read through the entire Encyclopedia Britannica when he was 9 years old. He still credits a love of books for his vast knowledge about rockets.

Britannica has been widely recognized as the ultimate reliable source for comprehensive deep research with Britannica School, Britannica Academic, and Britannica Library.

In the 21st century, the Britannica suffered first from competition with the digital multimedia encyclopaedia Microsoft Encarta, and later with the online peer-produced encyclopaedia Wikipedia. In March 2012, it announced it would no longer publish printed editions and would focus instead on the online version.

Can Britannica be a primary source? ›

For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica, one of the most popular encyclopedias, was first published in 1768 and is considered a primary source for historians because of the significant value it gained over time.

The Britannica Encyclopedia Online and the CREDO Reference (see links below) are excellent starting points for any research project.

With contributions from Nobel laureates, historians, curators, professors and other notable experts, Britannica Academic provides trusted information with balanced, global perspectives and insights that users will not find anywhere else.

Encyclopædia Britannica has nearly 250 years of experience creating trusted and reliable content. Our legacy and pedigree enable parents to feel confident they've made a smart decision with our service.

In addition, the main disadvantages of electronic encyclopedias include dependence on information technology, high initial cost, quality control, and citation.

If you need background information on a topic, or need to find out who the major theorists are in a field, you can find that information in encyclopedias. Note: While encyclopedias are reviewed and edited before being published, they are not peer reviewed and should rarely be cited in scholarly writing.

They are fact-checked according to a 14-point checklist to ensure that we have not only captured the big picture of a topic but also verified all the details.