Simple English Wikipedia

Simple English Wikipedia
Name	Simple English Wikipedia
Url	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Type	Online encyclopedia
Language	English (simple)
Owner	Wikimedia Foundation
Launched	2001

Simple English Wikipedia Simple English Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written in Basic English and simplified standard English for readers who need easier language. It is part of the Wikimedia movement and is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. The project aims to provide articles about people, places, events, works, organizations, and institutions using short sentences and a limited vocabulary.

History

Simple English Wikipedia began after the launch of Wikipedia as an experiment to make encyclopedic content accessible to children and adults learning English. Early contributors included editors who also worked on English Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects such as Wiktionary and Wikibooks. Over time the project developed policies influenced by community discussions and examples from plain-language initiatives in organizations like the United Nations and European Parliament. Major milestones include growth spurts when coverage expanded for topics such as World War II, United States presidential elections, and biographies of figures like Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr..

Purpose and Principles

The project’s purpose is to present information about historical events such as the French Revolution and the American Civil War, notable people such as William Shakespeare and Nelson Mandela, and institutions such as the Harvard University and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in a simplified form. Its principles reflect neutrality modeled after the Nuremberg Trials reporting conventions for factual balance, verifiability comparable to standards used by BBC News and The New York Times, and accessibility similar to initiatives by organizations like UNICEF and World Health Organization.

Content and Coverage

Articles cover a wide range of subjects from science topics such as Charles Darwin and Marie Curie, geography entries like Mount Everest and Amazon River, to cultural works such as The Odyssey and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Coverage includes biographies of leaders like Abraham Lincoln, explorers like Christopher Columbus, events like the Industrial Revolution, and treaties like the Treaty of Versailles. The project balances entries on countries such as China and United States with entries on cities like London and Tokyo, and on institutions such as International Monetary Fund and European Union.

Language and Style

The style uses short sentences, basic vocabulary, and simplified grammar influenced by controlled-language efforts like those used by Simple English curricula and plain-language movements in legal reform such as the Plain Writing Act of 2010. Writers often model articles after biographies of Isaac Newton and summaries of works like Pride and Prejudice but rewrite complex sources including materials from Encyclopaedia Britannica and academic publishers into accessible prose. The manual of style emphasizes clarity and avoids jargon that appears in specialized literature from organizations such as the World Bank and International Committee of the Red Cross.

Community and Organization

The community consists of volunteer editors, administrators, and bots similar to the contributor base on Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource. Local governance uses talk pages and noticeboards comparable to dispute resolution methods on English Wikipedia and follows licensing norms like those set by Creative Commons. Collaboration often occurs with educators from institutions such as Stanford University and University of Oxford and with outreach partners like Teach For America and literacy NGOs.

Technology and Access

The site runs on MediaWiki software, the same platform used by Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects such as Wikidata and Wikivoyage. Readers access content through common browsers and mobile apps developed by the Wikimedia Foundation and view mirrored content via repositories used by institutions like the Internet Archive. Tools for contributors include visual editors and citation templates similar to tools available on English Wikipedia, and bots automate maintenance tasks in ways comparable to automation on Wikidata.

Category:Wikimedia projects