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Since 1768, the Encyclopædia Britannica name has been synonymous with editorial quality. Over these many years, Britannica has developed an editorial process that today is one of the most rigorous in the reference publishing industry.
STANDARDSAll articles contributed to Britannica must meet the very highest standards. These standards apply not only to the text that constitutes an article but also to the subject of the article itself. Any article must therefore be:
- factually accurate
- steadfastly objective
- at a level of detail sufficient to convey the essential elements of the subject described
It is also necessary that the person who submits an article affirm that he or she is the article's original author and that the article does not infringe on anyone's copyright.
All submissions are vetted by Britannica's research and content editors. Britannica reserves the right to reject well-written submissions on subjects that it considers inappropriate for a general reference encyclopaedia. If an author is unsure that a subject meets this threshold, he or she should contact Britannica prior to submission.
SOURCESAny article submitted to Britannica must be accompanied by a list of authoritative sources consulted during the writing of the article. Such a list is essential for the evaluation of any article: it is a key component to the review undertaken by Britannica editors and experts, and it represents the starting point for the fact-checking process to which every article will be subjected. Any article submitted without a list of sources will not be considered.
PROCESSOnly after a thorough preliminary review will any article be identified for possible inclusion in Britannica. Following such identification, an article will typically be fact-checked by a research editor, edited and reviewed by a content editor and supervisory editors, and scrutinized for style, grammar, and consistency by copy editors. That article will then be provided to its author for review, accompanied by any questions raised during the editing process. Once returned to Britannica, the article, with any changes supplied by the author, may again be edited and reviewed by content and supervisory editors and by copy editors. The article will then be published, and the author's name will be associated with it in the article's history.
The aim of this rigorous editorial process is to ensure the publication of articles that uphold Britannica's reputation for accuracy and objectivity. The thoroughness of this process means that relatively few articles will meet Britannica's standards – and those that do will be the object of deliberate, thoughtful, and engaged review by editors and, frequently, leading experts. This process can demand as much involvement by the article's author as by the editors overseeing its publication.
STRUCTURE AND CONTENTThe articles of Encyclopædia Britannica describe a wide range of subjects, from human anatomy to components of computers to literary genres.
Biographies are among the most common types of articles that appear in Britannica. All biographies should include the following elements:
- Title: the personal name by which the subject is best known
- Alternate title(s): any other names or titles by which the subject is known
- Birth and death information: the date and location, identified as precisely as possible, of the subject's birth and death
- First sentence: a brief phrase identifying the person's (1) nationality, (2) occupation, and (3) significance, stated succinctly
- Description of significant events and accomplishments in a subject's life, presented in chronological order
Many other types of articles also appear in Britannica, among them articles on places, events, organisms, peoples, geographic features, and terms unique to a field of study. Each type has its own particular features, which are determined largely by the nature of the subject being described. These features can be best understood through the consultation of already existing articles on subjects of the same or of a similar type.
OBJECTIVITYThe ideal of encyclopaedic objectivity means, at a minimum, that an article clearly and fully explains each significant viewpoint in neutral or nonprejudicial language and that it discusses related topics in ways that do not unfairly favour one viewpoint over another.
Encyclopaedic objectivity does not mean the complete absence or transcendence of perspective. Rather, it has to do with the way conflicting perspectives are treated: an article is objective to the extent that it recognizes, and treats with respect and fairness, all significant conflicting viewpoints on major topics of disagreement within, or appropriately related to, its subject matter.
TONEThe tone of a Britannica article is always appropriate to the intellectual level of the discussion, and it is always respectful of both the subject and the reader. Slang and cliché should be avoided, and professional or technical jargon should never be used without explanation, and even then it should be used only sparingly. Care should be taken to ensure that tone and text are compatible and that neither can be construed, even remotely, as inconsistent with Britannica's editorial standards for accuracy, intellectual rigour, and objectivity.
