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The Pirated: The Encyclopedia Britannica

The reference software for Encyclopedia Britannica is a popular option to download on Pirate Bay.  Although you can find a slew of online reference materials, you may feel leery about the accuracy of the information.  Instead of paying $59.99 for the software, you can find free encyclopedia web sources that you can reference with assurance.

Start with Encylopedia.com

Encyclopedia.com is an online website that only presents information and facts that have gone through a verification process.  The site uses sources like the World Encyclopedia, Columbia University Press, and Oxford University Press.  You’ll have to suffer through a few pop up ads to use the site, but otherwise you can site their published works for your research papers without worrying that it’s incorrect (I’m talking to you Wikipedia).  Site: [Encyclopedia.com]

Check out MSN Encarta while you can

MSN Encarta is another choice for an alternative to Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia.  The setup is a little more navigational friendly than Encyclopedia.com.  You can view encyclopedia articles by categories or type in a search to find information on a particular topic.  However, make sure you log on before October 31 because Microsoft has decided to discontinue the offering.  Site: [MSN Encarta]

Download Encyclopedia 2 to get info from more than 40 sources

Encyclopedia 2 is an application available for free through the Download.com website.  This software contains information from more than 40 online encyclopedia reference sites.  This is ideal for students that don’t feel like combing the web for different information on a particular research product.  Site: [Download.com]