| Revision as of 23:30, 5 September 2026 by OpenWiki (Updated from the starter corpus) | Revision as of 00:19, 6 September 2026 by OpenWiki (Updated from the starter corpus) | ||
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| − | An '''encyclopedia''' is a reference work that summarises knowledge, either across every field or within one. It differs from a dictionary in what it explains: a dictionary defines words, while an encyclopedia describes the things, people and ideas the words refer to. The word comes from the Greek ''enkyklios paideia'', meaning something like "general | + | An '''encyclopedia''' is a reference work that summarises knowledge, either across every field or within one. It differs from a dictionary in what it explains: a dictionary defines words, while an encyclopedia describes the things, people and ideas the words refer to. The word comes from the Greek ''enkyklios paideia'', meaning something like "general education", the circle of learning a person was expected to have. |
| == Characteristics == | == Characteristics == | ||
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| {{Main|Wiki}} | {{Main|Wiki}} | ||
| − | Digital publication removed the two constraints that had shaped every previous encyclopedia: the cost of paper and the need to fix the text at the moment of printing. CD-ROM encyclopedias of the 1990s undercut print sets on price. Online encyclopedias then removed the release cycle altogether, and collaborative ones removed the paid editorial staff as | + | Digital publication removed the two constraints that had shaped every previous encyclopedia: the cost of paper and the need to fix the text at the moment of printing. CD-ROM encyclopedias of the 1990s undercut print sets on price. Online encyclopedias then removed the release cycle altogether, and collaborative ones removed the paid editorial staff as well, replacing prior review with public revision on the argument that errors visible to everyone get fixed faster than errors visible to nobody. |
| == Reliability == | == Reliability == | ||
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