Explicit knowledge (also expressive knowledge)[1] is knowledge that can be readily articulated, conceptualized, codified, formalized, stored and accessed.[2] It can be expressed in formal and systematical language and shared in the form of data, scientific formulae, specifications, manuals and such like.[3] It is easily codifiable and thus transmittable without loss of integrity once the syntactical rules required for deciphering it are known.[4] Most forms of explicit knowledge can be stored in certain media. Explicit knowledge is often seen as complementary to tacit knowledge.[5]
Explicit knowledge is often seen as easier to formalize compared to tacit knowledge, but both are necessary for knowledge creation. Nonaka and Takeuchi introduce the SECI model as a way for knowledge creation. The SECI model involves four stages where explicit and tacit knowledge interact with each other in a spiral manner. The four stages are:
The information contained in encyclopedias and textbooks are good examples of explicit knowledge, specifically declarative knowledge. The most common forms of explicit knowledge are manuals, documents, procedures, and how-to videos. Knowledge also can be audio-visual. Engineering works and product design can be seen as other forms of explicit knowledge where human skills, motives and knowledge are externalized.
In the scholarly literature, papers presenting an up-to-date "systemization of knowledge" (SoK) on a particular area of research are valuable resources for PhD students.[7]