Encyclopedia.com is a free web reference service for searching and browsing published reference material. It offers over 300,000 entries from sources including Oxford University Press and the Columbia Encyclopedia, alongside more than 50,000 topic summaries with related pictures, videos, and newspaper and magazine articles. The site says it continually updates partner content and provides search across more than 200 encyclopedias and reference books. Visitors can enter keywords or browse entries alphabetically. Search results are ordered by relevance according to how often a search term appears in an article. The FAQ gives citation details for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, including its 2008 publication information. The site says top universities and institutions use it daily for research. Its terms allow searching, viewing, downloading and printing for personal use, but prohibit systematic downloading or scraping without permission. The privacy policy describes collection of account, device, IP, browsing, cookie and session information, and an advertising relationship with CMI Marketing, doing business as CafeMedia. The privacy policy also refers to a mobile application named “Encyclopedia.”
Who it is for
Encyclopedia.com suits readers looking for reference entries and topic summaries, or browsing across a large collection of reference books. Its terms limit permitted use to personal searching, viewing, downloading and printing.
What is good
- More than 300,000 reference entries.
- Over 50,000 topic summaries include multimedia and articles.
- Search spans more than 200 reference works.
- Entries can be searched by keyword or browsed alphabetically.
What to know first
- Systematic downloading or scraping is prohibited without permission.
- Terms limit use to personal purposes.
- Privacy policy describes collection of device and browsing information.
- Advertising is handled through a stated CMI Marketing affiliation.
Verdict
Encyclopedia.com provides a large free reference collection with keyword search and alphabetical browsing. Readers should note its personal-use restrictions and the data collection described in its privacy policy.
Get started with Encyclopedia.com
- Visit https://www.encyclopedia.com/ in a web browser.
- Search for a topic using keywords or browse entries alphabetically.
- Use the free plan to explore reference entries and topic summaries.
What the free plan stops at
The free plan includes over 300,000 reference entries and more than 50,000 topic summaries. The terms limit use to personal searching, displaying, downloading, and printing, and prohibit systematic downloading or scraping without permission.
Questions about Encyclopedia.com
Is Encyclopedia.com free?
Yes. Its free plan is free.
What content does it include?
It offers over 300,000 reference entries and more than 50,000 topic summaries. The site says users can search over 200 encyclopedias and reference books.
What platforms are available?
The listed platform is web. The privacy policy also refers to a mobile application named “Encyclopedia.”
Can I cite Encyclopedia.com content?
The FAQ provides citation details for The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, including its 2008 publication information.
Can I download or print entries?
The terms permit personal searching, displaying, downloading, and printing. Systematic downloading or scraping requires permission.
What information does the privacy policy describe collecting?
It describes collection of account information, device and IP data, browsing activity, cookies, web beacons, and session logs.
Encyclopedia.com plans and pricing
All plansCompared on online encyclopedias
- Free plan
- Yes
- Citation tools
- Yes
- Content formats
- multimedia
- Update frequency
- continuous
- Mobile apps
- Yes
