People are increasingly using Wikipedia as a factual source for term paper.book reports and even Yahoo Answers. Too many people either through ignorance or malice input imformation that has been proven to be false. Why do people continue to think this is a legitimate resource for factual work?
2006-08-23 21:13:57 · 10 answers · asked by riommar73 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Other - Education
I think it is an acceptable source for Yahoo Answers but not for schoolwork or business purposes. It is usually good as a summary of other sources of information and only a small fraction of the information is actually wrong.
Any information I get from Wikipedia, I use my own knowledge and common sense and check my facts through other sources. For example, I answered a question on U.S. Currency using Wikipedia as a source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denomination_bills_in_U.S._currency. If I were to write a paper I would use the U.S. Treasury site at http://www.treasury.gov/education/faq/currency/denominations.shtml#q2
I find it a good source of additional avenues to explore. It can give me a little general background on a topic as well as provide me with additional words to search. I admit I am lazy and but I also don't like doing kid's homework for them. I suppose I should tell them to go to the Treasury site and see for themselves or whatever. Also, if they don't want us to use Wikipedia, why provide a button for it?
2006-08-23 21:29:18 · answer #1 · answered by Kuji 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
for the same reason people use this site for information. People have some kind of trust in others. And while there are people who will trust what they read without verifying it, there are people who are also honest enough not to put anything when they do not know an answer. This site just encourages this because of the point system. Wikipedia actually has people that verify the information as editors.
2006-08-23 21:22:48 · answer #2 · answered by hazel eyes 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cause it makes me feel good!!! Okay!!! I know that its an encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone at any time, but it hasn't let me down yet. Now, I wouldn't advise it's sole use without any other backup materials or sites, but if you're looking for a quick answer...cross your fingers and hope its true and that jack blow didn't just type something up just for the hell of it.
2006-08-23 21:26:16 · answer #3 · answered by Traci S. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wikipedia's facts get checked by a lot of people, and if something is false, somebody changes it. I"m not saying that all of it is 100 percent fact, but it's pretty close.
2006-08-23 21:21:32 · answer #4 · answered by funaholic 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because too many people are too lazy to distinguish between fact and opinion. It's a corrupted form of the democratic process (one man one vote) to arrive at revisionist history.
2006-08-23 21:21:24 · answer #5 · answered by spindoccc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because people are too lazy to do REAL research themselves. So they take the easy way out.
2006-08-23 21:19:15 · answer #6 · answered by confused 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we know how other sources of information are put together. They're not nearly as different as you think.
2006-08-23 21:20:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
because it gives detail to detail information or idea. And it is easy to use than opening an encyclopedia or dictionary.
2006-08-23 21:19:28 · answer #8 · answered by Ramil B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, count me out. I think Wikipedia is really boring.
2006-08-23 21:19:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because it's easy and they think it will get them "best answer" for doing that little extra "fact finding".
2006-08-23 21:17:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋