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 .
Why should students not use Wikipedia?
It makes no sense : their reading and writing skills – and creativity – will never improve. It also makes them lazy. Since anyone can be an editor of Wikipedia's references, often the accuracy of its information cannot be verified. ... Students using information from Wikipedia might also be breaking copyright laws.
Why is Wikipedia banned in schools?
The basic problem, according to officials, is that Wikipedia's unverified accuracy and ease of use are making it too tempting for students to use as a primary source . ... Middle-school and high-school students may need even more “encouragement” to avoid sources like Wikipedia.
Should Wikipedia be used by students?
Students agree that Wikipedia may be the easiest to site to access information and it is especially helpful in history classes. ... The consensus is that students should be allowed to use the website to gather information as pages are, for the most part, fairly accurate.
Is Wikipedia safe to use?
Because Wikipedia cannot be considered a reliable source , the use of Wikipedia is not accepted in many schools and universities in writing a formal paper, and some educational institutions have banned it as a primary source while others have limited its use to only a pointer to external sources.
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 often is Wikipedia 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.”
Why does Google recommend Wikipedia?
When it comes to the content that Wikipedia contains, one of the many reasons that it does so well is because it has other websites constantly referring traffic back to the encyclopedia . This tells Google that it has value and leads them to ranking Wikipedia higher in its SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).
Is Wikipedia a reliable source for college?
Wikipedia – Academic Use
Wikipedia is not considered a credible source . Wikipedia is increasingly used by people in the academic community, from students to professors, as an easily accessible tertiary source for information about anything and everything.
Can Wikipedia be edited by anyone?
Wikipedia is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit nearly any page and improve articles immediately . You do not need to register to do this, and anyone who has edited is known as a Wikipedian or editor. Small edits add up, and every editor can be proud to have made Wikipedia better for all.
How can Wikipedia be useful?
Not only is Wikipedia potentially useful for generating ideas, finding sources, and determining search terms , but it is also potentially useful for remembering and understanding some of the tasks that are frequently part of good research-based writing: reviewing, conversing, revising, and sharing.
What are the advantages of Wikipedia?
- Can help you get started with a general idea of what a topic is about.
- Nicely-organized and easy-to-use pages.
- Cross-referenced to related information.
- Wide range of information, much of which is becoming more reliable.
Do professors use Wikipedia?
In sum, more than 14,000 students have created or edited 35,000 Wikipedia articles as part of a program run by the Wiki Education Foundation. ... After that, it works with professors to oversee students as they draft, edit and submit articles , often over several weeks.
Why is Wikipedia shutting down?
On 16 January, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales announced that the English Wikipedia would shut down for 24 hours on 18 January as part of a protest meant to call public attention to the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, two anti-piracy laws under debate in the United States Congress.
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.
What is the purpose of Wikipedia?
Wikipedia's purpose is to benefit readers by acting as a widely accessible and free encyclopedia ; a comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge.
