Reference

Thanks so much for dropping by SelectSurf! We've scoured the web to identify the best Reference websites for your reference.

The days of waiting for the encyclopedia salesman to come around and making installment payments well into the future have largely disappeared. Practically every reference material you could ask for is now widely available on the World Wide Web, including online versions of encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, and weather information.
As with health information, you can’t go around trusting just any information you find on the internet. As a 1993 New Yorker cartoon said, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Would you trust an encyclopedia written by a dog? I would hope not (no offense to any dogs that may be reading this—you’re just not known for your academic rigor). SelectSurf has checked each of the sites below for “dogness” and found that they are all written by reliable, educated, and accurate human beings.
Students and other researchers undoubtedly make up a large part of the online reference material user base, but the resources can be applied in other situations as well. Most significantly, mobile devices now make it easy to access reference materials no matter where you are. Whereas previously you would have had to carry a translator’s dictionary with you when visiting another country, you can now access such materials on a smartphone (which may even be able to translate spoken or written language for you). Similarly, you don’t have to carry a farmer’s almanac during your next week-long fishing trip to check the sun’s rising and setting times. Simply check the time on your handy device and rest assured that you’ll be out there in time to land the big one.
 
 

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