OED Online relaunch: frequently asked questions

Coming in December 2010: a new version of OED Online

Much about the site will change in December, but we are confident that it will be an improvement for regular users and an enticement to new users. Below are some answers to questions you may have immediately—we will add to these in the months leading up to the relaunch, and include more information specifically for librarians and account managers. If you have other questions in the meantime, do get in touch with our online marketing team

Q. When will the new OED site launch?

A. The OED site will relaunch in December 2010. As well as the new-look website, the regular quarterly update will be published with new words and revisions of entries across the alphabet.

Q. What new content will be added at launch?

A. The most significant new content is the integration of the Historical Thesaurus of the OED (HTOED) into OED Online. This will allow readers to click through from entries to synonyms by date. The new site will also offer publicly-available feature pieces, providing guides to the OED content and regular commentaries on topical issues in the story of the language.

Q. What new functionality will be added at launch?

A. Amongst other things users will be able to search and browse the OED by a wide variety of criteria including subject, region, usage, or language of origin; see detailed information about the major sources of the OED; view search results as a timeline; and be able personalize the resource by saving searches and entries to their own profile.

Q. Will I have to take out a new subscription to access the HTOED?

A. No, it will be fully integrated and therefore accessible as part of your current subscription.

Q. How will I find out more about the new site?

A. Sign up here for OED news; there will be more information about the relaunch on the site in September.

Q. Will the website address change?

A. The homepage will remain at www.oed.com; all other page urls will change.

Q. I am used to working with the current website. Will it still be available after December 2010?

A. Yes, the current site will exist until the end of March 2011, offering an overlap period for users to become accustomed to the new site.

Q. Will there be any period of ‘downtime’ when neither the old nor the new site will be available?

A. No, OED will be available online throughout.

Q. How is the relaunched OED related to Oxford Dictionaries Online?

A. Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO) is a new current English dictionary and language reference service. In ODO, only present-day senses are covered and the most common meanings or senses are described first. The OED is a historical dictionary: the senses are dealt with in chronological order according to the quotation evidence. Also, unlike current English dictionaries, senses are never removed from the OED. The relaunched OED site will share some of the 'look-and-feel' of the ODO site, and there will be links at entry level between ODO and OED.