Zihao Kevin Mi Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Wikipedia isn't very dependable..... it is useful though. If it is some small situation, then i might use it. However, if it is a big event, like a high school paper....... I wouldn't use it. Hope this helps!!! 0:) Please click on my eggs! If you do, then you might stop them from dying!!! Thank you so much!!!! ^_^ :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanakochan Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Wikipedia is a great source of GENERAL information, but that can be said of any encyclopaedia. Multiple independent studies have indicated that Wikipedia is as accurate as the published encyclopaedias, so I'm usually pretty unconcerned about its accuracy. The changes to pages are usually very well moderated, so when vandalism does occur, it is usually fixed within 24 hours. However, unlike the published encyclopaedias, Wikipedia is not constrained by physical parameters, such as page count. Therefore, there is a LOT more detail to the information available when compaired to its published competitors. I find that some topics are way over my head, like if I'm trying to look up some math info for the Lenny Conundrum; all I want is a formula, not how it is derived. So, Wikipedia is a great place to look for a bit of information on a given topic, but it still not enough information for a college/university-level paper. Encyclopaedias are tertiary sources of information, which are great starting places for finding info. It's a good place to start, since all the information has citations from secondary sources (research people have done using other peoples' research as a starting point), and those cited sources can be located and used. Most university-level sources should come from published journals, though. So, my conclusions: Wikipedia is great if you want to learn a bit about something for personal interest. It's fairly detailed and correct, most of the time. However, if you need to write a paper for school, Wikipedia is a good starting place for finding out a bit of background on a topic and getting a list of decent primary and secondary sources that you can use for your research. That's exactly what my professor said too. He always says that a good place to begin your research is at Wikipedia so you can get general information and few links to different sources that you can use. =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kukuruza Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 most that on there is a trustworthy information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyTurtle Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I recently had a college professor rip into someone for using Wikipedia as a reference. I guess I can see her point-- anyone can change anything there at will, and there does not seem to be a lot of fact-checking. On the other hand, there's no problem if you just need to check something quickly. If you think you already know something and just need a couple of details filled in, Wiki is fine. If you need the source material for a 25 page term paper....not so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Yes, Wikipedia is generally a reliable source of information. Anyone who thinks that it isn't just because anyone can edit it doesn't know what the site is really about. There are a lot of people who monitor the articles, and a lot of rules and guidelines to editing. If you just go on and put up false information it will be removed. But you have to be thick skinned and loud mouthed at Wikipedia or you won't survive the flame/edit wars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toksyuryel Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Encyclopedias are NEVER admissable as a source, regardless of who can edit them. They collect information from other sources into one place, summarize it, and provide a list of their sources for the benefit of the reader. The encyclopedia has always functioned as a means to get this list of sources and a basic understanding of the subject, putting one in a better position to find citable sources with quality information for their paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler. Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 It's good if you want to find out more about a certain band or something like that. But if you're writing a 5 page essay about the theory of evolution I would search elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roaming Phantom Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I think Wikipedia is good and nice source for various kind of things. It might not reliable for being that 'open' but you can't say that an open-source site is always not reliable. Wikipedia also got some nice references too I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monasnella Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Seriously don't trust it that much. Was researching prototype of kyoto for me thesis when it came out that the only 2 countries who didn't participate were America (correct) and Afghanistan (obviosuly not) and other errors like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I would have to say that it is reliable. Sure you can go and change the content to something totally wrong, but there are people that work on those pages who correct any mistakes that the general public might have made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shell Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Wikipedia is good for those quick, mundane facts when writing a history assignment. I can look up the date/successor/general facts about a battle to refresh my memory, and be pretty sure it's reliable rather than looking it up in the textbook. I know that wikipedia is also making a big effort to review articles for the purpose of making them more reliable. The math articles, however, are IMPOSSIBLE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashbash Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 I agree that it can be good and bad. I would never go solely off what wikipedia says but it can sometimes be a good starting point for researching something. Since anyone can edit it I tend to go on there and then do follow up research on anything before believing it. I do like using it though because it has so much info in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolli Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 I agree with what's been said about Wiki being a good starting point. I wanted to add that once, for high school homework that could be even edited later, I included a definition of "art" from Wikipedia, and got shunned by the teacher. Normally yes, I would go and look it up in a dictionary, but I vaguely recall one dictionary being too general and the other stating the same as Wiki. The teacher said it's inappropriate to use the internet at all even for such a small point that had practically no bearing on my homework (the point of which was NOT to define "art" by any means). I disagree with this though, I think for small, insignificant details that I normally wouldn't even have to link a source to the internet, and Wiki, should be a "legal" source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadaw the Rampage Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 I feel wikipedia is a useful tool as a supliment, i say that meaning. Wikipedia is a free user based data base. ANYONE can change or alter information and its logically impossible for it to not have some pages where someone who thinks they know something on the subject might be off a little bit, or just plane wrong. By useing it your more or less reading a compilement of several other peoples discussions put into one paragraph. I feel that if used, it should be used as a second oppinion but really to say wikipedia is better then lets say googleing, or asking jeeves is. all of them are online and theres no way to stem the tide of information from users. ultimately you cant be sure the information is correct or right. thats just my two cents, im not trying to start anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanizilla Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Believe it or not, it is sometimes a more reliable source than books :O I look up a wide variety of things and end up seeing it back up by historians, doctors, etc and books about the information I read on wiki.... Yes... I am that thorough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secre Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I always found that the Wiki was useful for a beginning search, but I would never use it as a completely reliable source. If I'd left it til the last minute then a quick check there then onto other sites, but Wiki is not something to be used if you either want to make sure you have everything completely correct, or if you want to look like you know what you're doing/are actually being serious about your course. Never ever reference Wiki for a start! But the references that Wiki includes on the page can be very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niporam Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Wikipedia is a good source but you can change stuff about once my brother changed the category of how much there is to extinct and in the next hour it wasn't there because they check every title that was edited to see if it is right its just a good source to use in my opnoin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_suzinator Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 it is a great source if you can find the right information....it kinda varies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonjourPanda Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Wiki is fun to read but not a reliable source. I guess it's good reading about celebrities, but if you're doing University papers like I am... uh, no. You'd fail if you used a Wikipedia as your citation and source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent&Sullen Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Wikipedia is a great place to start if you know not much about your topic. It can help guide you to which information you need. Just don't ever let the info you find there influence the rest of your search. For your own entertainment, the majority of the main wikis are great places for general information, due to how the members patrol each and every edit, but if you want dates, specific numbers, etc then don't bother with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AhMunnaEatChoo10 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 wikipedia is sort of reliable.the information is usually submitted by people and can be removed just like that by people.so SOME people out there might mix up the information for fun.-_- but it's pretty reliable,I use it for my science projects all the time.didn't ever fail a single one.C: EDIT: when searching on wikipedia,if you find an answer there,just make sure you search that data to see if its true.Just because wikipedia says so its not always right.look for other sites that contains the same info,and check the date if the info you are looking for can change over time.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky_thief Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Wiki is fun to read but not a reliable source. I guess it's good reading about celebrities, but if you're doing University papers like I am... uh, no. You'd fail if you used a Wikipedia as your citation and source.Well you can't be very intelligent if you cite Wiki rather than all the websites Wiki cites in each of its articles. Just because it's massive and users can edit pages doesn't mean it's unreliable. Larger, more popular issues (or issues that are touchy) are locked and are thoroughly checked for fact and fiction. How are they unreliable? Citing Wiki itself might be stupid, but it gets its information from real places around the web. You gonna tell me that a page built entirely from Government or accredited organisation references isn't something to put your faith in? Either way...it's a good source, you just have to be smart about what you're reading (and, if applicable, who you cite). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiaircraft Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 As a Wikipedian and a former dedicated Recent Changes Patroller, I suppose I can't really expect to field unbiased opinions on this topic. However, I'd just like to second what HBK and a number of other people have said: the whole point of Wikipedia is to have a community-written and regulated source of information, and that model works very well. It's almost impossible for malicious or improperly sourced edits to slip through undetected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caly Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 My professor actually recommends Wikipedia for general information gathering. Like as in when we were supposed to outline our research papers, he whole heartedly supported those who used Wikipedia to flesh out their thesis. Besides... it's convenient b) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LavAzza Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I don't believe that wiki is a good source of info. Why? Because it's user edited. Meaning any user can implement false information. Here's an example. Last year my crazy English teacher decided to teach her sci-fi kids a lesson in proper research methods. So since they were reading Frankenstein at the time they had a huge project to do. She went on wikipedia to edit the Frankenstein page and put in false information. I'm not sure if the wiki is still like that, but hey, she caught the frequent wiki-ers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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