Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences is an online, continually updated reference work consisting of peer-reviewed commissioned review articles in the life sciences. Having been around for a decade, this has grown into the only fairly comprehensive online reference that covers most major areas of biology, including history, ethics, and biography. The searchability is very basic, and a confusing aspect of the encyclopedia is that the full text articles are not themselves on the encyclopedia site but on the separate Wiley Online Library platform along with Wiley's other products. The content is the strength of this work and would be useful particularly for biology students, both beginner and advanced. Contract provisions emphasize educational use and, while pricing is fairly steep, there are options for subscription or one-time purchase.