The Editor-in-Chief’s foreword to the 17th volume of the Encyclopedia Herald of Ukraine is presented.

The article, based on Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine, examines the prospects for applying generative artificial intelligence (using ChatGPT as an example) in encyclopedia studies, particularly for enhancing the efficiency of editors in preparing encyclopedic content. It emphasizes that ChatGPT can serve as a valuable assistant to the editor, especially through its ability to analyze author manuscripts, identify shortcomings, gaps, and inaccuracies, verify facts and statistical data, and suggest linguistic and stylistic improvements. A separate focus is placed on the compositional organization of the encyclopedic article’s text (its division into structural elements, including paragraphs) even though such structuring is absent in many reference works. The paper stresses that articles divided into paragraphs or sections are more likely to be read and, consequently, are of greater practical value. ChatGPT has the potential to provide such structural organization in encyclopedic publications, particularly their online versions (although certain risks must be taken into account). The same capabilities of artificial intelligence can also be applied by editorial teams during the preparation of new articles.

This article examines Grokipedia, a new online encyclopedia created by xAI under the leadership of Elon Musk. Unlike traditional encyclopedias based on expert editing (e.g., Encyclopaedia Britannica) or crowdsourced collaboration (Wikipedia), Grokipedia generates its content entirely through the ar­tificial intelligence system Grok. The study is based on a comparative analysis of the Ukraine articles in Grokipedia and Wikipedia (as of October 28, 2025). Methods of content analysis and critical dis­course analysis are employed to identify structural, factual, and ideological features of AI-generated text. Grokipedia demonstrates a somewhat simplified and more generalized manner of presenting material, although overall both articles appear quite similar in terms of knowledge coverage and tex­tual organization. The key differences lie primarily in the emphasis and interpretation of facts. Tech­nological innovation, without adequate epistemological and editorial standards, does not ensure knowledge quality — this becomes particularly evident in cases of Grokipedia’s unjustified symmetri­zation of perspectives on historical events, where the pursuit of “balance” replaces the criteria of factual accuracy and scholarly rigor. In its current form, Grokipedia represents an experimental attempt to apply artificial intelligence in encyclopedic practice rather than a fully-fledged alternative to Wikipedia.

The article examines the semantic and cognitive features of the term polon [captivity] in Ukrainian ency­clopedic discourse. The analysis is based on scientific and reference sources in Ukrainian, including uni­versal and specialized encyclopedias, online encyclopedias, encyclopedic dictionaries and reference dic­tionaries. The results of the study showed that the semantic specificity and functional features of the term captivity, which belongs to the conceptual fields of freedom/slavery and war, define it as a complex inter­disciplinary unit, the nature of which cannot be interpreted solely based on the information contained in modern encyclopedias. The need to use both direct dictionary entries and indirect encyclopedic material (prisoners of war/captives) to clarify the semantic structure of the lexeme captivity is emphasized. The core, basic and peripheral semes of the concept of captivity are identified and adapted to modern realities. It has been found that the term captivity functions in articles of various types, styles and topics, and is most often found in articles about personalities, which allow for a deeper and more specific understanding of the se­mantic structure of the unit under analysis. A lack of information about captivity that corresponds to the realities of the Russian-Ukrainian war has been identified; therefore, to actualize the modern semes cov­ered by the term captivity, an attempt has been made to draw on material from scientific discourse. It has been determined that encyclopedic discourse contains sufficient multifaceted material on captivity, but this information requires careful searching and recording, so emphasis has been placed on the need to cre­ate quick access to such an important term as captivity within a single dictionary entry.

The article examines the origins of Ukrainian encyclopedism through the example of the first encyclopedic work produced on Ukrainian territory — the Polish-language edition of Benedykt Chmielowski’s Nowe Ateny [New Athens] (1745–1756). The study highlights the relevance of conducting a historical and book-studies analysis of this work in the broader context of the development of the national book culture, as well as the intellectual, cultural, and Enlightenment processes of the eighteenth century. The research is grounded in both general scholarly and specialized methods of historical book studies, including comparative-historical, analytical, contextual, and source-critical approaches. It employs an interdisciplinary framework that integrates the history of science, philology, cultural studies, and encyclopedic studies. The study establishes that Nowe Ateny represents a synthetic encyclopedic compendium of the Baroque era, in which religious, natural-scientific, historical, and folkloric knowledge are interwoven. Source analysis demonstrates that Chmielowski relied primarily on medieval and early modern authors, intentionally avoiding thinkers of the early modern period whose views conflicted with Catholic doctrine. Despite contemporary accusations of compilation and naivety, Nowe Ateny reflects the state of scientific thought and the level of intellectual curiosity among educated readers on Ukrainian lands in the eighteenth century. The work pursued a didactic aim — popularizing knowledge among the nobility, clergy, and student youth. Chmielowski’s encyclopedia should be regarded as a cultural and historical phenomenon that combines features of late Baroque intellectual culture and the early Enlightenment. It functioned as a vehicle for disseminating scientific knowledge, facilitated the spread of heliocentric ideas, and broadened the worldview of the educated strata of society. Despite its compilatory nature and evident scholarly limitations, Nowe Ateny emerged as an important monument of book culture, marking the transition from scholastic tradition to more systematic encyclopedic thinking on Ukrainian lands.

The article surveys encyclopedic publications that contain entries on Ivan Puluj (1845–1918), from the earliest references in 1898 to the present day. Special attention is given to the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary character of Puluj’s activity, which earned him international recognition. As a physicist, he is regarded among the most notable scientific figures of the late nineteenth century: his fundamental studies of cathode rays paved the way for the discovery of the electron and contributed to the emergence of X-ray science and early medical radiography. Puluj’s achievements in practical electrical engineering and invention are today represented in museums of science and technology across Europe and the United States. In the humanities, he is known as a translator of the Bible from classical languages into Ukrainian and as an advocate of education in the native language. Through numerous public essays and pamphlets, he defended the rights of the Ukrainian language and argued for the opening of a Ukrainian university in Lviv. In political writings published in German in Prague and Vienna at the beginning of the First World War, Puluj forcefully maintained that the establishment of an independent Ukrainian state was essential for peace and stability in Europe. The article also addresses widespread inaccuracies in printed and online sources concerning the life and work of Ivan Puluj, correcting them on the basis of documentary evidence.

Based on the significant expansion of access in Ukraine to original 19th-century world scientific literature, and the growing culture of preserving historical memory in the field of science and technology—as exemplified by numerous university-led digital initiatives worldwide—this work offers a new interpretation of the scientific achievements of the eminent Ukrainian experimental physicist Ivan Puluj, in comparison with those of his contemporaries. Drawing on the criteria for Nobel laureates as formulated by the administrators of the inaugural prize in 1901, the study rigorously demonstrates that limiting recognition to Wilhelm Röntgen alone was unjustified, and that the candidacy of our compatriot possessed notable advantages over his closest competitors. It is shown that Puluj’s scientific contributions were effectively silenced by represent-atives of the dominant imperial scientific schools of the time. This pattern of omission persists even in the materials of such a democratic source of information as the modern global Wikipedia. In this context, the work underscores the vital importance of cultivating principles of scientific integrity—principles consistently exemplified by both Michael Faraday and Ivan Puluj.

In the era of global digital communication, encyclopedic resources have become vital instruments of humanities education and historical memory. A successful example is the Holocaust Encyclopedia of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—a digital platform that combines the functions of a reference work, an archive, an educational resource, and a space for public reflection. The purpose of this article is to examine this resource as a phenomenon of contemporary encyclopedic culture. The study employs descriptive-analytical and historiographic methods, combining an analysis of scholarly publications with a structural and functional review of the Holocaust Encyclopedia itself. It demonstrates that the project has undergone several stages of development—from an electronic museum tool in the 1990s to a modern multimedia encyclopedia. Today, the resource includes nearly one thousand articles in English, some of which have been translated into nineteen languages, including Ukrainian. Owing to its well-designed content strategy, multimedia features, and interactive tools, it has become one of the most influential online resources on the Holocaust. Its materials are easily discoverable within the Ukrainian digital space. The article outlines prospects for creating a similar digital project in Ukraine, noting that the Holocaust Encyclopedia may serve as a methodological and technological model for future Ukrainian initiatives that combine academic rigor, educational purpose, and openness to a global audience.

The article presents the conceptual foundations for the creation of the Encyclopedia of the History of the Ukrainian Revolution, 1914–1923, which is currently being developed at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The idea of this encyclopedia emerged as a response to the need within contemporary historiography to systematize, interpret, and represent the experience of the Ukrainian Revolution in the broader context of global transformations of the early twentieth century. The project seeks to overcome ideological distortions inherited from the Soviet his­torical tradition and to present the revolution as a multidimensional process of national and state re­vival. The article takes the form of an analytical essay that combines descriptive, historiographical, and conceptual-reflexive approaches. This methodological synthesis makes it possible both to trace the evolution of the concept of the “Ukrainian Revolution” in historical scholarship and to substantiate the relevance of creating the Encyclopedia of the History of the Ukrainian Revolution, 1914–1923 as a contemporary digital humanities project. It is noted that more than 600 encyclopedia entries have already been prepared out of the planned 2,000. The materials cover biographical entries on political, military, civic, and cultural figures, as well as foreign individuals associated with the Ukrainian strug­gle for independence. The article emphasizes that the implementation of the project is taking place under conditions of ongoing Russian aggression, which has significantly complicated research activity in Ukraine. Despite resource limitations and the loss of personnel, work on the encyclopedia continues, contributing to the preservation of historical memory, the strengthening of national identity, and the affirmation of the continuity of Ukraine’s state-building tradition.

This article offers a concise yet substantive review of the monograph “Ukrainian encyclopedias in current socio-communicative challenges” (Kyiv, 2024), authored by O. Ishchenko and M. Stepanenko and edited by M. Zhelezniak. The monograph examines the contemporary state of Ukrainian encyclopedic practice within the broader context of intensified information flows, media transformations, and the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. It highlights the growing role of encyclopedias as instruments of public communication, knowledge organisation, and cultural resilience. Drawing on leading Ukrainian encyclopedic projects, the authors analyse editorial communication with contributors, the challenges of attracting qualified experts, and the increasing visibility of encyclopedic content in wartime media discourse. Particular attention is given to encyclopedias as new media, shaped by digital technologies and aligned with the principles of Open Science through their commitment to open access. The review evaluates the monograph’s contribution to understanding structural obstacles that impede the development of encyclopedic initiatives, including insufficient recognition of encyclopedic authorship in academic evaluation systems. Overall, the work is presented as a timely and valuable contribution to the field, relevant not only for Ukraine but also for countries seeking to strengthen informational resilience and scholarly communication infrastructures.

The article analyzes active and passive constructions in modern Ukrainian, taking into account their his­torical, grammatical, and stylistic aspects. Particular attention is given to the lasting effects of the Soviet era, when Russian grammatical norms were aggressively imposed on Ukrainian, leading to the widespread use of passive patterns unnatural to the language. The study examines verbs ending in -sya, the forms -no, -to, and passive participles, clarifying their semantic nature, stylistic appropriateness, and normative sta­tus. It argues that passive constructions (especially those modeled on Russian) blur the subject of action and create an overly formal tone, while active structures align with the natural grammatical and communi­cative logic of Ukrainian. The author emphasizes that restoring active syntactic patterns is not only a matter of linguistic correctness but also an act of cultural self-assertion, aimed at freeing Ukrainian from colonial linguistic layers and reaffirming its authentic grammatical identity.

On 25 October 2025, the distinguished Ukrainian astronomer and geodesist, a leading specialist in astrometry and space geodynamics, and a prominent public and civic figure, Yaroslav Stepanovych Yatskiv, celebrated his 85th birthday. This “kaleidoscope” collection brings together brief sketches — vignettes by lead¬ing figures of Ukrainian science — that together form a portrait of the jubilarian.

In this communication, we provide an overview of two international events in the field of encyclopedic studies and lexicography that took place in 2025. These include the International Encyclopedia Conference in Rome, organized by the Treccani Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, which brought together representatives of leading national encyclopedic projects from Europe and around the world. The discussions focused on the challenges and strategies for developing encyclopedic resources in the digital age, the integration of artificial intelligence, the modernization of editorial practices, and the role of encyclopedias in fostering critical thinking and digital literacy. The conference emphasized the importance of international cooperation and the preservation of scholarly standards in a rapidly evolving global information environment. The second event—the LETS 2025 International Seminar, organized by Universiti Putra Malaysia—was dedicated to preserving and revitalizing linguistic heritage through digital technologies. Its program covered a wide range of topics, from innovations in lexicography and terminology to corpus-based studies, machine translation, mobile applications, and the documentation of minority languages. Special attention was given to presentations addressing the status of encyclopedias as authoritative sources of knowledge and the interplay between traditional and technological approaches in contemporary humanities. Both events underscored the growing role of encyclopaedics and lexicography in shaping the digital knowledge infrastructure and sustaining intercultural dialogue.

The author reports on the 5th All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference “Contemporary Dimensions of Ukrainian Regional Studies,” held at Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University on 14 October 2025. The event has affirmed its status as a professional platform for interdisciplinary scholarly dialogue among researchers of culture, history, the arts, and education from various regions of Ukraine, and its outcomes are highly significant for the development of Ukrainian encyclopedia production. The plenary session focused on issues of preserving historical and cultural memory, biographical research, and musical and artistic regional studies. The conference demonstrated the growing importance of regional research as a key direction in contemporary humanities and its alignment with the principles of encyclopedic knowledge in exploring national identity.