Students are adept at finding and using online resources. It is important to help them understand how to determine the reliability of information on a web site. Wikipedia is a popular site for information, from general knowledge to very advanced topics. Though its pages are frequently reviewed both Wikipedia and outside sources find that as many as 13 percent of its pages contain errors.
What is Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia started in 2001. It is based on wiki software, which allows users to add, edit and remove content from any page. This open environment of collaboration that allows anyone to change information brings frequent questions about the reliability of the information on its pages. Wikipedia has features in place to allow authors to question published information and tracks the history of changes. Some of its pages are also vandalized or debated information changed, which is why it’s authority for accurate information is frequently questioned.
Educational Uses
One of the results teachers envision for students to achieve when writing research papers is that the information is accurate and credible. Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not neatly fall into the categories of accurate or credible. One argument for Wikipedia’s use as a resource is that the more people who contribute information the more accurate that information will become. However, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks before errors are found or corrected.
Consider the estimate of 13 percent of pages containing errors. Then suppose Wikipedia has 2,000,000 articles. That would be 260,000 incorrect articles. Another way to look at this is that almost 1 out of every 8 articles contains errors.
Wikipedia’s popularity is difficult to deny. It is available in multiple languages and frequently a first stop by many when seeking information. Experts publish and maintain articles to promote knowledge of their fields. Towns provide data, statistics and attractions. According to Alexa, a web information company, Wikipedia is the 12th most visited site in the US with almost 11 million visitors per day.
Instead of banning students from using Wikipedia, show them how to use it wisely. At the end of each article is a list of references and external links. These are provided in support of the information in the article and can be easier to examine for credibility than the Wikipedia page itself. Students can then follow these links and find accurate information for their paper that is also considered credible.
Reference: Chesney, T. An empirical examination of Wikipedia’s credibility. August 2006.
