This work serves as the definitive reference for the lives of significant individuals who have shaped the history of the British Isles. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed accounts of figures from the earliest times to the present day. It functions as a foundational research tool for historians, genealogists, and students seeking verified biographical data.

Scholars and academic institutions regard this dictionary as the primary authority for British biographical research. Readers frequently note the high level of academic rigor and the extensive citation of primary sources within each entry.