Encarta Encyclopedia Online

Encarta Encyclopedia Online Content

Table of Contents

Articles in the Encarta encyclopedia online are broken down into the following subjects:

• Art, Language and Literature
• Life Science
• History
• Geography
• Religion and Philosophy
• Physical Science and Technology
• Social Science
• Sports, Hobbies and Pets
• Performing Arts

Multimedia Content

One of the unique features of the Encarta encyclopedia online is the inclusion of multimedia material with many entries:

• The entry for Abraham Lincoln includes an audio file of an actor reading Lincoln's inaugural address, four charts and 13 images.
• Basketball is accompanied by 49 multimedia accents, including video, charts and photographs of famous players.
• The Mark Twain entry is accompanied by pictures, a chart and a dramatic reading of an excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Other Features

• The Archives contain year-in-review articles from 1938-1999. Each overview provides an in-depth look at topics from "accidents and accident prevention" to "zoology."
• Sidebars offer additional information about their given topic, but they can also be accessed separately. Sidebars include literature, historic documents and famous speeches.
• Literature Guides, sorted by author and title, provide plot summaries, author information and discussion of literary elements like theme.
• Homework starters offer tips on writing essays, designing creative projects and completing science projects.

Negatives

One of the major downsides to the Encarta encyclopedia online is the preponderance of ads readers face as they research any subject. Some ads are less intrusive, like the "Further Reading" pages that link to an MSN shopping site, but others appear directly in the middle of encyclopedia entries.

Even with the ads, most articles are only available to MSN Encarta Premium subscribers at a cost of $4.95/month or $29.95/year. When browsing lists of available articles, Premium entries are marked with a red asterisk. Looking through some of the menus, it appears that there are many more subscription-only articles than free articles. In the Archives, entire years are only available with a Premium subscription. If you search for an article that is only available in the Premium edition, the first line of the article will appear, but when you click on the link, it takes you to a "subscription article" notice. If you're debating whether to purchase a subscription, it also includes access to magazine articles and homework tools in addition to the premium encyclopedia entries.

Tips for Using Encarta Online

• While most people will visit the Encarta encyclopedia online to research a specific topic, it's easy to browse by area of interest.
• Since the site is framed by menus and ads, if you find a page you wish to print, click on the "printer-friendly" link near the top of each article to create a clean copy.
• An article outline at the beginning of each entry can help you find your specific area of interest.
• Links to related entries can help refine your search and expand your knowledge.

Encarta on MSN

The larger Encarta portal on MSN contains much more than the encyclopedia. It also offers a dictionary, thesaurus and atlas for a one-stop reference source. Quizzes add fun to the overall presentation. Homework help, sorted by grade level, is also available.