Groupprops:Groupprops versus Mathworld

In what ways does groupprops differ from the Mathworld encyclopaedia? Some of these aspects are discussed here.

First, the similarities
Groupprops and Mathworld share a lot of similarities in comparison with, say, a general-purpose resource like Wikipedia. Namely, both Groupprops and mathworld are controlled and manged by small numbers of people, who oversee all the content, and decide the structuring and organization. Also, they are both specifically designed for the subject, and do not bother to go into setting the context for every article.

Differences in article structure
Groupprops articles are written as typical Wiki articles, with all the information classified into sections and subsections. They are also, on average, longer than the corresponding Mathworld articles (in the event that both articles exist and have reached a stage of relative completion), as well as more comprehensive.

On the other hand, Mathworld articles may tend to be a bit more reliable, and, as of now, they may also link better to topics outside of group theory. They also tend to provide more comprehensive information on aspects of the term that are within mathematics but outside group theory.

Mathworld articles are also generally more tightly written.

Differences in organization
Groupprops make extensive use of categories and templates to organize content, and most of the category structure captures the what is relationships. Mathworld also does have an equivalent of categories; however, the category relationship is not so strict. it is more a related to stuff kind of relationship rather than a strict and stern what is.

For instance, Finite Groups on Mathworld has a list of things ranging from particular kinds of finite groups, to group properties, to theorems and conjectures regarding finite groups.

Also Mathworld relies extensively on the what links to where and the See Also -- something which is missing from Groupprops (though of course one can find out what links to a given Groupprops article, that is not an encouraged primary tool for exploring the site).

Differences in additional resources
Mathworld is not just an encyclopaedia; it has a Classroom, it has Mathematica resources, and it seeks other ways to make itself a complete educational experience.

Groupprops is mainly a collection of wiki pages, and the only way it offers additional service is by providing links to other resources.

Differences in policy
Mathworld calls itself the web's most extensive mathematical resource, provided as a free service to the world's mathematics and internet communities as part of a commitment to education and educational outreach by Wolfram Research, makers of Mathematica. (from About Mathworld). Its aim is primarily educational and informative, and insofar as that holds, it has rigourous checks on the quality of content that enters, viz it makes sure that all the content that goes in is correct, established and standard.

Groupprops is much less rigourous in the entry requirements for data; it also allows terminology local to the wiki, and could be a place to develop new ideas. This is because its aim is not to be used as a primary teaching resource but just as a reference stop for group theory.