Credibility: Q2 Wikipedia

Wikipedia is not accepted in these learning portfolios, or any other academic writing, as it is not a credible source of information. Wikipedia is a peer reviewed website, meaning that any member or viewer can change and manipulate information. They do not need to have completed research or have any knowledge on the topic in order to contribute to the article, and as such it contains lots of misinformation.

An article can also have many contributors. They can often have conflicting views on the topics or conflicting information, which can make it difficult to discern fact from fiction. One study (Chesney, 2006) found that 13% of articles on Wikipedia had incorrect information or errors. However it is important to note that this study took place nine years ago and was also published on another peer reviewed website, proving how easy it is to access and publish information, whether it be true or not.  It is always necessary to consider any information from peer reviewed websites, such as Wikipedia, untrustworthy or at the very least uncertain.

Scholars are urged to cite the references cited on the Wikipedia page, rather than the Wikipedia page itself. This way, the information is direct from the source and will be more credible than the Wikipedia page.

 

References

Chesney, T. (2006). An Empirical Examination of Wikipedia’s Credibility. First Monday, 11(11).

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