So there has been a fairly recent phenomenon on the Internet that I have used over and over again for school. Wikipedia always seems to have the answers that I need. Sometimes I go straight to Wikipedia to search for what I want, other times I go to Google to search and Wikipedia is in the top two or three results. It is almost like magic. It has an almost comprehensive list of what I need and it even links within its own articles to explain and link to the topic you are looking up with more detail.
Teachers, however, have not seemed as inclined to spread the good news of Wikipedia to the world. For some reason, teachers seem to have an ongoing vendetta against Wikipedia as though it were the spawn of the devil. “Why?” I ask. Teachers commonly complain that it is not accurate, that anyone could get on and write what they wanted to about what you look up. They want better sources that are more reliable and renowned.
This could be understandable, since many people can get on and add content. But I argue against this. Almost all of the articles that I have used for school have had references and external links to back up what is found in the Wikipedia articles. Honestly, who is going to get on Wikipedia in their spare time and add random facts about John Maynard Keynes? I mean, there are some sites that could be less than trustworthy. Like looking up Corona del Sol High School on Wikipedia. There have been some interesting things posted there.
Wikipedia has notifications at the top of the page when there are certain problems or certain specifications that must be told about that page. These can warn when the pages could contain personal influences of the writers, when more citations are needed, etc. All in all, I would say that they give a fair warning of when their information is probably inaccurate and could contain some problems.
So, why not Wikipedia? It has all the information, right in one easily accessible spot that connects to all the information one would need related to the subject you searched for. Who has not used Wikipedia? And if not, why not? You are honestly missing out. It has made information easily accessible to the world. It has millions of articles in over 200 languages. Wow! That is all I can say.
Getting information from Wikipedia is like getting information from a blog.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
No, it's like getting information from an encyclopedia - which is also prone to errors, inaccuracy, simplification, etc. Just like Wikipedia, encyclopedias are generally frowned upon as research material.
--Mike
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Although I also have found information that has been correct through wikipedia it really is not a good source for information. People that are really bored and have nothing better to do get on there and type in fallacy items that sound correct.
If you want to use Wikipedia then use it. But I would double check other sources to make sure the information is totally accurate. Just like other sites information is not always accurate. For example, Heath Ledger was found dead which we all know. But they stated on a website that pills were everywhere scattered around the room. This was false according to many news sources. But really the only person who really knows about these issues are the person themselves so I struggle with the credibility of any news source. :)
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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I avoid using Wikipedia because I really don't trust what somebody posts on there. It could be as simple as a year being wrong, but in school it won't go over well. In college, a lot of my professors won't even allow us to use the site.
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To be honest, I have never used wikipedia. I'd rather look up on information about something from a site that is related to my work than a site that has blogs and such. I guess it's just the way I am with reports and essays.
=D
Some teachers get on Wikipedia and screw up info on purpose, just to see what students disobeyed the "no wikipedia" rule.
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I used to trust Wikipedia a lot before I started checking the discussion pages.
“I hope the departure is joyful and I hope never to return.” - Frida Kahlo
I'm gonna betch slap the dumb outta you
So thanks for all of the comments, guys. I must say that I do look at the information on other sites and have not found that many discrepancies during my research. Like last night I had to write a paper on anything chemistry related for skipping on senior ditch day. So, I decided that I should talk about glow sticks. The glow stick chemistry and information about chemoluminescence was all the same on Wikipedia as the other sites I found it on. Although I do use Wikipedia, I also look up other sites and have usually only verified the information I obtained on Wikipedia.
Chances are you could use Wikipedia for all your research and never have a problem with it... but don't count on it.
In addition to the obvious concern that its information can be altered by anyone, some teachers also frown upon Wikipedia because many students consider it a one-stop-shop. Meaning, Wikipedia comes up in the first group of webpages on a search engine and seems to have all the info a student needs. Therefore, Wikipedia is all the student uses, and students don't learn valuable research skills that are required to find reputable sources and information.
Maybe you can get away with Wikipedia for now, but don't use it as a primary source on a college paper.
Well, I never use Wikipedia as a cited source on any of my papers, since I understand that teachers don't approve of it. And I do look at other web sites that relay the same information. So, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I guess.
I still like Wikipedia and will probably continue using it in the future. I guess I have almost grown up with using it and have gotten use to having it there. Hmmm... maybe it is a crutch...
Well, if you use the same crutch long enough it may break.
Après la pluie le beau temps. ♥
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Well said.
All papers I've written have required more than one source, and they all must have a works cited page. So even if teachers did allow wikipedia, students would have to use other sites. I always double check wikipedia, and have few problems, so I continue to use it as a starting point for my research.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711