The Simple English Wikipedia is an English edition of the Wikipedia encyclopedia, written in primarily Basic English and Special English. The site’s stated aim is to provide an encyclopedia for “people with different needs, such as students, children, adults with learning difficulties and people who are trying to learn English”

Articles are usually shorter than their English Wikipedia counterparts, typically presenting only basic information. The project is based on Basic English, an 850-word auxiliary international language created by Charles Kay Ogden in the 1920s.

Material from the Simple English Wikipedia forms the basis for One Encyclopedia per Child, an OLPC (One Laptop per Child) project.

It is always important to discuss the reliability of ANY source of information, and to compare it with other sources. It is also valuable to look in to the way in which information is portrayed and conveyed. Whilst they are from similar origins, Again But Slower could be a good start when looking at two wells of information and how they are communicated. Again But Slower  displays Wikipedia and Simple English Wikipedia entries side by side.