Encyclopedia of Alabama vs Wikipedia

Encyclopedia of Alabama is a free web reference resource covering the state’s history, culture, geography, and natural environment. Its articles range from people, events, sports, art, literature, industry, and government to plants, animals, agriculture, and recreation. Contributors—including academic scholars and field scientists—write or adapt material for the Encyclopedia, and the site says it adds content regularly. Articles may include multimedia, while themed collections bring related entries together and image galleries link visual material to related articles. Readers can search or browse by categories, articles, authors, events, organizations, people, places, collections, galleries, and quick facts. Citation tools and educator resources are available. Noncommercial educational reuse is permitted with appropriate citation and credit; commercial reproduction requires prior permission. The editorial office is administered by Auburn University through its Office of University Outreach in partnership with University Libraries. The site accepts correction suggestions that identify an error and provide at least one supporting reference.

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia available on the web and through mobile apps, with editions in hundreds of languages, including editions with over one million articles. Volunteer editors create and revise content, check facts, cite sources, discuss entries, and moderate the encyclopedia. The Wikimedia Foundation hosts and protects Wikipedia, while editorial decisions are made by volunteers. The Foundation says the service is available without advertising or paywalls and is funded mainly by donations, not advertising, subscriptions, or sales of users’ personal data. The official Android app supports searching articles, changing languages, saving reading lists for offline use, and adjusting themes and text size. Its listing says the app has no ads, does not track or collect data, and encrypts data in transit. MediaWiki provides a REST API for interacting with installations including Wikipedia. The Foundation publishes a privacy policy, says it prioritizes speed, reliability, and availability during traffic spikes, and publishes transparency reports twice a year. Its financial statements are independently audited annually. Wikipedia is free at free.