Just some guidelines I'd like to put out for the community's thoughts and comments.
We pretty much don't have any rules on the board about what should be in the encyclopedia, and how it should be in there, but I'd like to suggest some minimum requirements.
1) List all ships of a class.
Preferably, list all ships built to those specificaions, by name, and any other relevant identifier your navy uses. At a minimum (since yes, you don't name every little torpedo boat or landing craft), specify how many were built, how many are still in service, and how/when the remainder were disposed of.
2) Update, Update, Update.
If it's been laid down, if it's been transferred to your flag, if it just appeared at your docks with an elaborate bow on the front turret, put something in the encyclopedia denoting the basics. If it's been scrapped, sold, converted, or been banished to the N-Verse, make a note of it. Encyclopedias should not lag several quarters (or years) behind news and sim reports.
3) Public Knowledge
The default, general consensus is that unless otherwise noted, data from the encyclopedias is available to any moderately competant intelligence service (and thus, to the government that operates them). If this is not the case, make notes of what efforts and desired results your nation is aiming for.
But basically, consider this a reminder that pretty much everyone; players, mods, lurking guests, everyone depends heavily on the Encyclopedias to keep track of what's going on with the main focus of the sim; The ships. So please keep them managed and in order.
If there's more suggestions, or anything I've missed, feel free to chime in.