The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica
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Page Contents
Our Editorial Process
Britannica has been a global leader in information since 1768. We’ve gone from publishing encyclopedia sets to selling CD-ROMs (which may seem even more quaint today than books) to going fully digital. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to being clear, fair, accurate, and relevant.
Why should you trust what you read at Britannica?
That’s a very fair question, and the fact that you thought to ask it means that you know that not all information is created equal. So consider:
- Britannica’s editorial staff is made up of writers and editors who have extensive knowledge in their fields, which range from geography to botany to technology and beyond.
- Britannica commissions work from experts, including leading thinkers in academia and journalism. Notable contributions have come from Nobel laureates and world leaders. Think we’re blowing smoke? Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Madeleine Albright, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others, have all written for Britannica.
It’s about our process as much as our people
- Once an article is written, it is reviewed and revised by a team of editors.
- Articles are edited to make sure that they cover the important points a reader needs to know, are written in an engaging way, and are fair, making clear not only what is known about a topic but also what may still be in dispute.
- They are fact-checked according to a 14-point checklist to ensure that we have not only captured the big picture of a topic but also verified all the details.
Making sure it stays right
Unlike the days when the encyclopedia was printed and couldn’t be changed for upwards of a year, today editors at Britannica are continuously updating and revising content.
- When news happens, the relevant Britannica articles are updated by our staff editors or supplemented by a feed from our news partners. Our goal is to go deeper than the who, what, and when of a news event. We want Britannica to be the authoritative source for the context and history you need: the why and the how.
- When we hear from readers about possible mistakes, we investigate and, when necessary, correct. (Mistakes happen, even with a highly exacting process. We are human, after all.) If you have feedback, let us know at [email protected] or by clicking on the feedback button that appears on articles.
Trust, but verify
If after reading all this, you’re still not sure about our process, know that we make it transparent to readers and users how, why, and when we revise articles. Just click on Article History in any article to see what has been done—from adding media to fixing the way an article appears on your phone to updating for developments and more.
The Editors
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The Marriage of the Virgin
The Marriage of the Virgin, oil painting, also known as Lo Sposalizio, that was created in 1504 by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was commissioned by the Albizzini family for a church in the Città del Castello outside Perugia, home to a ring believed to be that given to Mary by Joseph when
How Was the Liberty Bell Cracked?
The Liberty Bell—a well-known symbol of freedom, originally commissioned by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1751—has cracked multiple times during its history. The bell’s first crack happened almost immediately after its arrival in Philadelphia. Cast in London and delivered in 1752, the
How Big Is the Moon?
The Moon is a spherical rocky body with a mean equatorial radius of approximately 1,738 kilometers (1,080 miles) and a diameter of roughly 3,476 kilometers (2,160 miles). In terms of mass, the Moon is relatively massive for a natural satellite, with a mass ratio compared to Earth that is larger
Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?), small oil painting on wood that was created in 1433 by Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck. The portait, also known as Man in a Red Turban, is widely believed to depict the artist himself. Though he did not, as was long held to be true, invent oil painting, Jan
L’Absinthe
L’Absinthe, oil painting created by French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas in 1875–76. Its shocking subject, a glimpse of real, modern life, initially met with a decidedly mixed reception. Originally called Dans un Café, it was first shown at an Impressionist exhibition in 1876, and it acquired
Regret minimization theory: Making peace with uncertainty
Regret minimization theory is a decision-making framework that helps traders and investors navigate choices when faced with uncertainty. At its heart is a simple question: Which choice will I regret least? Instead of aiming for the best financial outcome, this approach shifts the goal to reducing