A dictionary on the history of the notorious Nanjing Massacre in 1937 is being compiled and is expected to be published next year, academics announced on Tuesday.

The dictionary, featuring more than 18,000 entries so far, will reveal the historical facts on the crimes of the Japanese troops in Nanjing from late 1937 to early 1938, said Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Experts on the massacre from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, and Bangladesh have contributed to the compilation.

"The participation of foreign experts on the massacre manifested the international significance of the dictionary," Zhu said.

Jing Shenghong, one of the compilers from Nanjing Normal University, said the dictionary will not only serve as a reference book for historians, but also help spread historical truth to Chinese and foreign people, considering some right-wing forces in Japan are trying to deny the facts about the invasion, massacre and sex slavery instigated by Japanese troops during World War II.

Japanese troops occupied eastern China's Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937, and began a six-week massacre. Chinese records show more than 300,000 people -- not only disarmed soldiers, but also civilians -- were brutally murdered and thousands of women raped.