I have seen that one can insert their own information which would seem to me to compromise accuracy. If this is true why is it considered as a reference?
2007-03-28 06:15:05 · 5 answers · asked by dVille 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Wiki is a good place to start. I will often use it to chase down obscure references, but I do not use Wiki for any references, I always go to the correct source. Wikipedia is open-edit and is therefore not a reliable informational source.
2007-03-28 06:28:12 · answer #1 · answered by credo quia est absurdum 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Wikipedia is making it harder to do this. I read something about that not too long ago. Wikipedia, I'm assuming, was designed to allow people to share information about topics THEY knew about. I can find "hypnic jerk" (spelling?) on Wikipedia, but I can't find it in the dictionary. It's super helpful if you just want really quick information, especially on more modern phrases, events, and people. They have a staff who look into the information on the site & remove & edit as needed.
As for it being (or not being) a reference, anything or anyone to whom you refer is technically a reference. While I would use Wikipedia to settle a friendly debate, I personally wouldn't use it in an essay.
2007-03-28 22:06:34 · answer #2 · answered by elizabeth_ashley44 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, anything in wikipedia.org that is NOT cited, the wikipedia people mark as needing a source. If you are careful, you can find good, cited information. I use it a lot as a starting point, and check everything with regular encyclopedias and texts.
2007-03-28 13:24:13 · answer #3 · answered by puppyraiser8 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
At my college it is not considered a reference.
2007-03-28 13:52:09 · answer #4 · answered by crazy_for_writing 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's true, and inaccuracies are common. It just happens to be popular anyway. It's like Google: it's not the best, it's just the most popular.
2007-03-28 13:24:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋