Is Wikipedia A Legitimate Research Source?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Wikipedia is not a reliable source for elsewhere on Wikipedia. Because it can be edited by anyone at any time, any information it contains at a particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or just plain wrong. …

Wikipedia generally uses reliable secondary sources

, which vet data from primary sources.

How much of Wikipedia is wrong?

“The study did reveal inaccuracies in eight of the nine entries and exposed major flaws in at least two of the nine Wikipedia articles. Overall, Wikipedia's

accuracy rate was 80 percent

compared with 95-96 percent accuracy within the other sources.”

Can you trust Wikipedia?


We do not expect you to trust us

Also, since Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any time, articles may be prone to errors, including vandalism, so Wikipedia is not a reliable source. So please do not use Wikipedia to make critical decisions.

Should you trust a wiki for academic research?


No, you should not use wikipedia as a source for academic papers

. Generally speaking, the scientific articles are quite accurate(of course there is always change and new discoveries), but there is reason to distrust any other type of article.

Is Wikipedia a reliable source for research?

The online encyclopedia does not consider itself to be a reliable source and discourages readers from using it in academic or research settings. Researchers, teachers, journalists, and public officials

do not regard Wikipedia as a reliable source

.

Why Wikipedia is a bad source?

However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable, because

Wikipedia is not a reliable source

. … This is because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any moment. Although when an error is recognized, it is usually fixed.

How accurate is Wikipedia 2019?

They found that while Wikipedia articles were rated at 83.8 percent for completeness, the information published in the articles was

99.7 percent accurate

.

Is Wikipedia more accurate than Britannica?

They found that in general, Wikipedia articles were more biased—with 73 percent of them containing code words, compared to just 34 percent in Britannica. In almost all cases,

Wikipedia was more left-leaning than Britannica

. … “We can only say [that] Wikipedia is more left,” says Zhu.

Does Wikipedia Make money?


Wikipedia makes money via donations, investments, as well as merchandise sales

. In the future, it plans to launch an API that charges enterprises a fee for access to its data. Founded in 2001, Wikipedia has grown to become one of the world's most-frequented websites.

Is Wikipedia 100% true?

Wikipedia is not a reliable source for citations elsewhere on Wikipedia. Because it can be edited by anyone at any time, any information it contains at a particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or just plain wrong. … Therefore,

Wikipedia should not be considered a definitive source in and of itself

.

Does Google own Wikipedia?

Google is pouring an

additional $3.1 million into Wikipedia

, bringing its total contribution to the free encyclopedia over the past decade to more than $7.5 million, the company announced at the World Economic Forum Tuesday.

In which countries is Wikipedia blocked?

Censorship of Wikipedia has occurred in many countries, including China, France, Germany, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. Some instances are examples of widespread internet censorship in general that includes Wikipedia content.

How does Wikipedia update so fast?

Some parts of the Wikipedia are edited by bots. They are special scripts that can do extensive but unintelligent editing, such as updating links to other language wiki pages automatically. This kind of information rich updates are created by real users.

What are 3 reliable sources for research?

Types of Credible Sources for Research

Credible sources for research include:

science.gov, The World Factbook, US Census Bureau, UK Statistics, and Encyclopedia Britannica

.

How reliable is Wikipedia as a source for journalists and academic scholars?

Research studies have shown that

Wikipedia is roughly as reliable as other sources commonly accepted as “accurate

.” Arguably, the one to demonstrate this first was science journalist Jim Giles, who wrote a 2005 Nature article, “Internet encyclopaedias go head to head.” Giles combed through articles on both Wikipedia …

What is the most reliable source of information?


Academic journal articles

are probably the most reliable source of current thinking in your field. To be the most reliable they need to be peer reviewed. This means that other academics have read them before publication and checked that they are making claims that are backed up by their evidence.

Charlene Dyck
Author
Charlene Dyck
Charlene is a software developer and technology expert with a degree in computer science. She has worked for major tech companies and has a keen understanding of how computers and electronics work. Sarah is also an advocate for digital privacy and security.