I love Wikipedia. I love that it contains information on virtually everything. I love that anyone can contribute, making it possible for an infinite amount of information to be shared, which simply would not be possible if it were maintained solely by staff.
However, I sometimes have to remind myself that just because I read it on Wikipedia doesn't mean it's true. Much of the information there is unreferenced and unverified.
So for verified information, I like Infoplease.com and Encyclopedia.com. Infoplease has a handy menu to help you quickly access things like an atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, timelines, quizzes and encyclopedia content from Columbia Encyclopedia.
Information Please has an excellent pedigree — they have been providing authoritative answers to all kinds of factual questions since 1938, first as a popular radio quiz show, then starting in 1947 as an annual almanac, and since 1998 on the Internet at www.infoplease.com. It is owned by Pearson, the world's largest integrated education company, which also includes the Financial Times and Penguin.
Encyclopedia.com provides access to content from 49 encyclopedias like Oxford University Press and Columbia University Press, as well as 73 dictionaries and thesauruses with definitions, synonyms, pronunciation keys, word origins and abbreviations.
Whatever resource you choose, just remember that Wikipedia is great if you are curious about a subject, but if you need information you can quote with confidence, it shouldn't be your first choice. - Caleigh
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