Wikipedia Is Credible

Improved Essays
Many people are questioning the use of Wikipedia as a legitimate research source. A legitimate source can be defined as a source that is well written with factual information by an author who is credible in the field to which the source is discussing. According to this definition, Wikipedia is not a legitimate source because anyone can contribute to an article with little to no expertise. Not everyone agrees, however. Some people say that Wikipedia is on its way to becoming a credible source by having many individuals critique each and every article to make it reliable information. Others say that Wikipedia was doomed from the start because any one can put information on the site and it may take longer than necessary to put take down that false …show more content…
As mentioned in “A False Wikipedia Biography,” the author proclaims that the “wonderful world of Wikipedia” is a place where “millions of people worldwide visit daily for quick reference ‘facts’” (Seigenthaler). Seigenthaler also mentions that those “facts” are “composed and posted by people with no special expertise or knowledge” (“A False Wikipedia Biography”). How can over a million of articles published on Wikipedia be written, edited, and reviewed by people with no expertise or knowledge on the topic they are presenting? Well considering what Wikipedia actually means, it is quite easy. “Derived form a Hawaiian word mean ‘quick,’ the term wiki conveys the swiftness and ease with which users can access information on and contribute content to such a site” with no identification or credentials (“Wiki” qtd. in James). According to Randall Stross, “Wikipedia invites anyone to pitch in, writing an article or editing someone else’s” where “no expertise is required” (“Anonymous Source Is Not the Same as Open Source”). As mentioned previously, a legitimate research source must be credible by establishing an author that has credentials to affirm what he or she is talking about is true. Wikipedia does not establish this principle whatsoever. Without credibility, Wikipedia cannot be bounded to reliability; therefore, Wikipedia “should not be relied on as much as actual class material” (Stanford Daily). Neil Waters, a college historian professor, suggested regulations to his department concerning Wikipedia. In his suggestion, he said “students are responsible for the accuracy of information they provide. Wikipedia is not an acceptable [source]…” (Wikiphobia). By being an open source, Wikipedia has lost every change of being a reliable source and a value to any professor. Even Stanford Daily agreed by saying

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A Stand Against Wikipedia by Scott Jaschik draw attention on how students should not use Wikipedia as a resources due to its inaccuracy details and lack completeness entries. In his article he emphasize, “ As Wikipedia has become more and more popular with students, some professors have become increasingly concerned about the online, reader- produced encyclopedia.” Scott have a point where there is plenty of inaccuracy details, but that’s not accurate at all. If the person gathered enough sources that seemingly relates one to the other, then there the sources surely is accurate. Basically, don’t rely on one resources, the researchers needs plenty of resources in order for him or her to make a case or support his or her idea.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The internet contains a numerous range of information with a touch of a button from a computer or other electronic device. The range of information found online can vary from credibility, bias, and other factors. Not only is the availability of information simplified, most tend to…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The internet helps people simply find knowledge from Wikipedia and discuss academic question on the forums. Thus, the academic forums and Wikipedia are supplemental evidences to prove that the Internet can do things which the college do. This idea confirms the function of the internet but ignores that quality of knowledge on the Internet is not valid. As we know neither academic forums nor Wikipedia belong in any colleges or universities or educational institution. Generally, most of the similar websites on the internets are open source and free to be edited.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Prior to reading Chapter 1 and “At Sea in a Deluge of Data”, I realized how elementary my definition of information literacy was. I believed information literacy was the ability to find information using a variety of research methods. So, you can imagine reading the definition was surprising, yet the definition seemed simplistic. Per our course text, “Information literacy is the ability to identify a need for information and successfully locate, evaluate, and use that information ethically and legally for a determined purpose”.…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nt1330 Unit 3 Assignment 1

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Wiki- is an open website for users to add their own information to help others. It is a huge encyclopaedia where users can join and write articles or new ones to help people for what they are searching for. Information is passed on around because users can edit on the article and insert their own information relevant to the article. You can either edit or change information on it. Here is an example…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Int 420 Research Paper

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages

    INT 420 Deona Sherrill Paper #1 There are literally thousands of web sites out there that claim to be news sources and many of these web sites are conspiracy sites and/or groups who think they can publish rumors as facts. This can wreak havoc on the internet and in some people’s lives and I think it is highly unethical to publish anything that has not first been proven to be true by finding the basis for their stories on facts and not rumors. I remember one story that flew the rumor mill last May about how the US Military was going to invade Texas or put Texas under Martial Law or at the very least was training our troops on how to put the entire United States under Martial Law. In reality, some of our special op troops were being brought…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Google It The world may wonder how people ever survived without the Internet before it came into their lives. They have grown accustomed to the easiness the Internet provides. The work that used to take someone hours or even days and weeks to accomplish can be achieved within minutes. In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”…

    • 1618 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The domain of the source is “.gov” which means the US Government is in control of the website. An assumption can be made that all the information is legitimate, because it is under the supervision of the government. The author of the article is Mae Bowen, however there is no background knowledge of the author. The author has a bias tone towards the topic, which is the Civil Rights Act. The tone the author presents about the topic is positive.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even when I had been going through middle school and high school, my teachers had always been very clear about not using Wikipedia as a source. They would only go as far as to suggest that it could be used as a start for research, but never as an actual source for a project. She uses examples of student’s interviews, the fact that it is constantly updated, and how it has a better example of the American Revolution than an advanced class. She discusses how students had been told to not use Wikipedia as a “main source”, but they were not told why they were not allowed to use Wikipedia or why other sources were more trustworthy. People use Wikipedia to spread their knowledge and, it is usually much easier for people to understand a difficult topic if it is explained by another…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Non Credible Sources

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Another thing that makes Wikipedia a non-credible source is that anyone can make updates or change any/all of the information on the page as long as you create a Wikipedia account. This is portrayed within the URL provided above with each edit from different authors. The hardest part about sifting through the nutritional information was having to verify whether or not the information given on this site was accurate by going to a credible source to compare the information. Sifting through the information just way too time consuming, incredibly inconvenient and entirely…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, many questions and concerns have risen from this method of research. One question that comes up in McClure’s article is how do you know the credibility of your research since anyone and everyone can make it, especially on Wikipedia. McClure explains Wikipedia as “a web-based community of readers and writers, and a trusted one at that” (McClure 223). So writers do not see this open participation as a bad thing but more less a good thing. Through the online database you get to see everyone’s opinions which in most causes help you collect your own.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine a word out of innovation, out of face to face interaction, and out of life as we know it. With social media on the upraise across the United States and the increase in over all technology. People are becoming addicted to the aspect of constant communication. From sun up to sun down, people all over are updating their status, cheeking up on family members, and even having group game play. Although this might seem like all this interaction is great, it has lead to many downfalls since social media was first introduced.…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Here is a fun fact, Google is making us stupid. Think about this you’re on earth, but without your phone or tablet, you would be bored out of your mind and want to know a way to be able to distract yourself. The articles we read state that Google is making us stupid. I honestly think that Google is making our generation dumber. First of all, you would think that Google is making us smarter because it’s able to access us information in the blink of an eye.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    ISSUE: Why can't we fight fake news effectively ? The spread of misinformation has been a topic that many are talking about. One serendipitous irony was discussed by Adam H. Johnson in his article, “Everyone Wants to Stop ‘Fake News’ but No One Seems to Know What Exactly It Is”. During his article Johnson discusses an example of wishful thinking in the fight against fake news, “ As The Intercept was quick to point out, PropOrNot’s blacklist included “WikiLeaks and the Drudge Report, as well as Clinton-critical left-wing websites……

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The ‘Undue Weight’ of Truth on Wikipedia by Timothy Messer-Kruse is a great article about Kruse’s experience with the information, authors, and policies on Wikipedia. During the reading Kruse made valid points about Wikipedia’s policies and the requirements that need to be met in order to change an article on the website; these points left me with many questions. For example, why do secondary sources have more weight than certain primary sources? One would think that testimony from the publishing by the Library of Congress would have more weight than a book published about the case. Aside from the questions left unanswered, this was a very interesting and amusing article that catches the reader’s attention and promotes more in-depth…

    • 120 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays

Related Topics