1. How to use an Encyclopedia
Heather Smith and Leigh Sutherland

2. What is an Encyclopedia?
 A Book of Information
about People, Places,
Events and Beliefs
 A Book of Facts
 Facts are Arranged
Alphabetically

3. How to use an Encyclopedia
 Select the Correct
Encyclopedia
 Select the
Encyclopedia that has
the first letter of the
topic you are
researching on the
spine
 Ask an adult or friend
for help if you’re unsure
which encyclopedia
you should be using

4. How to use an Encyclopedia
 Find your Topic
 Use the guidewords at
the top of the pages to
find your topic, which is
arranged alphabetically
 Your topic will be listed in
Bold print to help you
find it on the page
 Ask an adult or friend to
help if you’re unsure
where to find your topic
in the encyclopedia

5. How to use an Encyclopedia
 Your Topic
 May be broken up into
different categories
 If there are categories
about your topic, read
each category in bold
print to decide which
categories you should be
reading in order to learn
more
 If there are no
categories, then read the
section about topic in it’s
entirety

6. How to use an Encyclopedia
 Taking Notes
 Begin to search for the
information you need (the
librarian will give you a
worksheet to fill out)
 Carefully copy the
information from the
encyclopedia onto the
paper, making sure
you’re copying everything
exact

7. How to use an Encyclopedia
 Finishing Up
 Make sure you write
down where you found
your information (which
encyclopedia you used)
 Return the encyclopedia
back to the shelf
 Keep the encyclopedia
with it’s set and in
alphabetical order
 Ask an adult of friend for
help if you’re unsure
where the encyclopedia
should go