Skip to Main Content

Formulaire de recherche

Resources by Document Type - Linguistic Tools

Encyclopedia in engineering

Access encyclopedia articles in French on all the engineering fields :

The library encyclopedias

Encyclopedia list in the Library catalogue

*You can add additional keywords for your research in the encyclopedias.

General

Scientific biographies

The Wikipedia case

Wikipedia has become an essential resource when it comes to encyclopedias. At Polytechnique Montréal, some teachers proscribe the use of Wikipedia, when others allow it only if it is accompanied by reliable references. Be cautious and verify with your professor before using information from Wikipedia.

Multilingual and commercial free, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that is mostly used as a research starting point.

Here are some leads to guide you when using Wikipedia (Source : Delsaut, 2016):

  • Be critical!
  • Verify the neutrality of the articles, which is one of the pillars of Wikipedia.
  • Verify the references at the end of the articles.
  • Read the banner at the top of the page, which indicates known problems and gives a contextual setting or a message to the contributors.
  • Consult the "Discussion" and "History" sections of the articles (tabs at the top of the article).

There are lots of initiatives from libraries to improve Wikipedia’s content. For example, the workshops "Mardi, c’est Wiki!" at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ).

Follow the Library on... Facebook Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
Ask a question