The new dictionary would cover British history, "broadly defined" (including, for

example, subjects from Roman Britain, the United States of America before its
independence, and from Britain's former colonies, provided they were functionally
part of the Empire and not of "the indigenous culture", as stated in the
Introduction), up to 31 December 2000. The research project was conceived as a
collaborative one, with in-house staff co-ordinating the work of nearly 10,000
contributors internationally. It would remain selective there would be no attempt
to include all members of parliament, for example but would seek to include
significant, influential or notorious figures from the whole canvas of the life of
Britain and its former colonies, overlaying the decisions of the late-nineteenth-
century editors with the interests of late-twentieth-century scholarship in the
hope that "the two epochs in collaboration might produce something more useful for
the future than either epoch on its own", but acknowledging also that a final
definitive selection is impossible to achieve.
Following Matthew's death in October 1999, he was succeeded as editor by another
Oxford historian, Professor Brian Harrison, in January 2000. The new dictionary,
now known as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (or ODNB), was published
on 23 September 2004 in 60 volumes in print at a price of 7500, and in an online
edition for subscribers. Most UK holders of a current library card can access it
online free of charge. In subsequent years, the print edition has been able to be
obtained new for a much lower price.[3] At publication, the 2004 edition had 50,113
biographical articles covering 54,922 lives, including entries on all subjects
included in the old DNB. (The old DNB entries on these subjects may be accessed
separately through a link to the "DNB Archive" many of the longer entries are
still highly regarded.) A small permanent staff remain in Oxford to update and
extend the coverage of the online edition. Brian Harrison was succeeded as editor
by another Oxford historian, Dr Lawrence Goldman, in October 2004. The first online
update was published on 4 January 2005, including subjects who had died in 2001. A
further update, including subjects from all periods, followed on 23 May 2005, and
another on 6 October 2005. New subjects who died in 2002 were added to the online
dictionary on 5 January 2006, with continuing releases in May and October in
subsequent years following the precedent of 2005. The ODNB also includes some new
biographies on people who died before the DNB was published and are not included in
the original DNB, because they have become notable since the DNB was published
through the work of more recent historians, for example William Eyre (fl.
16341675).
The online version has an advanced search facility, allowing a search for people by
area of interest, religion and "Places, Dates, Life Events". This accesses an
electronic index that cannot be directly viewed.
Response to the new dictionary has been for the most part positive, but in the
months following publication there was occasional criticism of the dictionary in
some British newspapers and periodicals for reported factual inaccuracies.[4][5]
However, the number of articles publicly queried in this way was small only 23 of
the 50,113 articles published in September 2004, leading to fewer than 100
substantiated factual amendments. These and other queries received since
publication are being considered as part of an ongoing programme of assessing
proposed corrections or additions to existing subject articles, which can, when
approved, be incorporated into the online edition of the dictionary. In 2005, The
American Library Association awarded the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
its prestigious Dartmouth Medal. A general review of the Dictionary was published
in 2007.[6]
Sir David Cannadine took over the editorship from October 2014.[7]