encyclopedia
Let an agent explain encyclopedias and how to use and evaluate them, distinguish editorial from collaborative works, and support research and citation practice.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain encyclopedias and how to use and evaluate them, distinguish editorial from collaborative works, and support research and citation practice.
A reference work providing summaries of knowledge across all subjects or a particular field, arranged alphabetically or thematically, in print, on disc or online, from general encyclopedias and specialist works to collaborative wikis such as Wikipedia, Vikidia and fan wikis; encyclopedias are tertiary sources that summarise primary and secondary literature.
What it is for: Summarising and accessing knowledge.
It can be find suitable encyclopedias for a topic; evaluate reliability and editorial process; cite encyclopedia entries correctly; explain how collaborative encyclopedias work.
Distinguishing features
Tertiary source
Broad or specialist scope
Editorial or collaborative
Regularly revised
What it looks like
Multi-volume books, discs or websites with articles.
How it is recognised
Alphabetical or thematic articles
Editorial or community authorship
Dictionaries define words rather than summarise topics
Related models
is a kind of - category
is a kind of - category
is studied by - field
is related to - access
In practice
Families and kinds
general encyclopedias
specialist encyclopedias
collaborative online encyclopedias
fan and community wikis
historical encyclopedias
Standards and regulation
Citation style guides
Editorial policies of encyclopedias
Licensing such as Creative Commons for collaborative works
Failure modes and hazards
Treating encyclopedias as primary sources
Vandalism and errors in open wikis
Outdated print editions
Also called
+16
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Use Finding information.
Start, do not end, here.
Find
Which encyclopedia.
Find
Choosing.
- Which encyclopedia suits this topic and audience? action
- Is a specialist work available? provenance
Research
Role in research.
Research
Research.
- How should an encyclopedia entry be used as a starting point for research? action
- Which primary sources does it cite? provenance
Evaluate Reliability.
Check the process.
Editorial
Editorial process.
Editorial
Editorial process.
- Who writes and reviews entries, and how are errors corrected? provenance
- How current is the entry? provenance
Wiki
Collaborative works.
Wiki
Collaborative works.
- How reliable is this wiki entry, based on sourcing, history and community standards? boundary
- Which policies govern it? provenance
Cite Citation.
Cite properly.
Format
Citing entries.
Format
Citing.
- How should this encyclopedia entry be cited in the required style? action
- Should the version or access date be included? boundary
Appropriate
When to cite.
Appropriate
When to cite.
- Is citing an encyclopedia appropriate for this academic work? boundary
- Which sources should be cited instead? action
History Development.
From print to wikis.
Historical encyclopedias.
History.
- How did encyclopedias develop, from early compendia to the Encyclopedie and modern works? provenance
- Which are landmarks? provenance
Digital
Digital transition.
Digital
Digital transition.
- How did CD-ROM and online encyclopedias change the field? provenance
- How are wiki communities governed and hosted? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should each major encyclopedia be a separate entry?
- How should reliability assessments be linked?
- How should wiki communities be described?