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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How Long Does It Take to Get to the Moon?
The time taken to reach the Moon varies depending on propulsion technology, a spacecraft’s trajectory, and the distance of the Moon from Earth at a given point in time. With current propulsion technology a crewed mission is estimated to take around 3 days to land on the Moon. The Apollo 8 mission,
How Long Do Elephants Live?
Elephants have varied lifespans depending on whether they live in the wild or in captivity. Wild elephants can live up to 60–70 years. In the wild the availability of food and water, the presence of predators, and human activities such as poaching and habitat destruction play significant roles in
Why Do Parrots Talk?
Parrots talk primarily because of their advanced vocal learning abilities, which allow them to mimic sounds, including human speech. Parrots possess an ability known as vocal learning, which enables them to imitate a wide range of sounds. This skill is not limited to parrots—it is also found in
James Martin
On June 12, 2016, a mass shooter in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killed 49 people, most of whom were members of the local LGBTQ community. The next day James Martin, a Roman Catholic priest based in New York City, posted a video about the tragedy on Facebook. Dismayed that so few U.S. Catholic
How Fast Are Alligators?
In the water, alligators can reach swimming speeds of up to 32.2 kilometers per hour (20 miles per hour), using their powerful tails to propel them efficiently. This ability enables them to be stealthy hunters, lurking beneath the water’s surface or near the shoreline to catch unsuspecting prey. On
How Fast Can Bears Run?
Bears, despite their at times lumbering appearance, can move at impressive speeds in pursuit of prey. The fastest of these mammals are grizzly bears. Known for their massive size and strength, they can reach top speeds of 35 miles per hours (56 kilometers per hour) over short distances. This speed