Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia site written collaboratively by many readers, who are able to edit material. Therefore, information on subjects is always updated, while libeled information is removed. I often use wikipedia for research on new topics, introducing me to the basic ideas of the subject. Identifying the main concept before understanding the details helps me obtain a better understanding.

As a Fine Arts major, I found artcyclopedia helpful for research on art movements involving artists in a certain time period. Artcyclopedia provides information on art movements, artists, and images of artist's artwork. The site covers the history of art, and it is perfect for students who are beginning research papers on artist or art movements to obtain information from this website.

As students, buying books can be expensive and space consuming, Gutenberg solves your problems by offering free downloadable books in the form of ebooks. If you've never viewed an ebook before, they are electronic books viewed on your computer usually in PDF format. Also they can be printed out and viewed in hardcopy. Personally, I find it uncomfortable to view literature on a computer, so I view it on my palm pilot. I've recently downloaded Shakespearean literature from Gutenberg, and they are less than one megabyte in size.

This site is very useful, when you are typing a research paper and want to avoid repetition of words. It is important for college students to expand their vocabulary. I often find myself repeating words; I use Dictionary.com in revising my essays. Also, when stumbling upon a word you don't understand while reading eBooks or internet sources, it is convenient for you to access this site. Instead of going through your bookshelf to find your dictionary, you could just type in the word. As a result, you save more time receiving quicker results.