Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics Lesson

Using and Evaluating Print Resources

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Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics

The Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics is an incredible resource. It provides scholarly, in-depth articles on a wide range of topics including: Advertising; Affirmative Action; Animal Rights; Civilian Populations in War; Sexual Orientation; Trade and Proprietary Information; Vegetarianism; Welfare Policies; Women's Rights; etc.

The encyclopedia has both a table of contents and a listing of contents by subject area. Each article includes an outline of its contents, a glossary of terms, a list of cross-references, and a bibliography.

Here is an example of the first page of an article on agricultural ethics. Notice that there is a section in this article that covers agricultural bioethics. Also notice the glossary of terms.

Example of an article from the Encyclopedia

At the end of the article we find a list of cross-references and a bibliography.

Cross reference example

One of the best ways to search for information in an encyclopedia is to use its index. An encyclopedia index is usually located at the end of the last volume in the set. Some encyclopedias have a separate volume that contains the index. The Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics index is located in volume 4.

Looking under the term "biotechnology" we find a cross reference to genetic engineering and biotechnology in volume 2. This cross reference leads to the section of the article on "genetic engineering" that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineering.

Cross reference to genetic engineering

Looking in the index under the term "agriculture" we find a cross reference for "genetically engineered agriculture" in volume 1. Turning to page 325, we find an entry discussing "genetically engineered tomatoes." This entry is part of the article on "biotechnology."

Agriculture cross reference example

The bibliographies found at the end of each article contain references to books and scholarly journal articles that will be of great value to you in your research. To determine which of the books and articles listed in the bibliography the library owns go to the library online catalog (SIRSI).

Click on the "Continue" button below to proceed to the Dictionaries Lesson. Click on the "Back" button to return to the Encyclopedias Lesson.