Spring Break
Wikipedia use open to debate
Sravanthi Dama
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: News
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Wikipedia, the increasingly popular online encyclopedia, is used by thousands of college students around the country. Whether it's for a quick reference or for in-depth research, Wikipedia usage has become a highly controversial topic amongst professors, administrators and students within the academic world.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of Wikipedia is that anyone can edit the content of a Wikipedia article, simply by clicking on an edit link on the site. Essentially, a doctoral candidate has the same opportunity to edit an article as a high school senior.
Wikipedia is a continual work in progress that is updated the knowledge of a topic grows, setting it apart from a traditional encyclopedia, which is updated on an annual basis. However, Wikipedia creators caution that older articles are more reliable and newer articles should be read and taken with a grain of salt. In an attempt to guard against misinformation, Wikipedia does employ editors who read articles and correct apparent mistakes.
Students at Drexel and at other universities all seem to use Wikipedia for the same general purposes.
Devang Joshi, a senior majoring in biology, said, "I mainly use it for quick knowledge and general information which is most likely to be irrefutable."
Danielle Guttman, a junior majoring in psychology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. relies on it for personal use.
"I'll use it to look up general facts if someone asks me something I'm not too sure of or I'll use it for popular culture references. I would not rely on it to write a substantial paper," she said.
At the University of Connecticut, Pooja Kondabolu, a freshman majoring in English and economics, says she feels that discussion over Wikipedia has been extensive.
"We have come to a general consensus that it's a good starting point in researching a topic on the very basic level. However, the fact that anyone can write whatever they want is disturbing even if it is being edited by so called experts," Kondabolu said.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of Wikipedia is that anyone can edit the content of a Wikipedia article, simply by clicking on an edit link on the site. Essentially, a doctoral candidate has the same opportunity to edit an article as a high school senior.
Wikipedia is a continual work in progress that is updated the knowledge of a topic grows, setting it apart from a traditional encyclopedia, which is updated on an annual basis. However, Wikipedia creators caution that older articles are more reliable and newer articles should be read and taken with a grain of salt. In an attempt to guard against misinformation, Wikipedia does employ editors who read articles and correct apparent mistakes.
Students at Drexel and at other universities all seem to use Wikipedia for the same general purposes.
Devang Joshi, a senior majoring in biology, said, "I mainly use it for quick knowledge and general information which is most likely to be irrefutable."
Danielle Guttman, a junior majoring in psychology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. relies on it for personal use.
"I'll use it to look up general facts if someone asks me something I'm not too sure of or I'll use it for popular culture references. I would not rely on it to write a substantial paper," she said.
At the University of Connecticut, Pooja Kondabolu, a freshman majoring in English and economics, says she feels that discussion over Wikipedia has been extensive.
"We have come to a general consensus that it's a good starting point in researching a topic on the very basic level. However, the fact that anyone can write whatever they want is disturbing even if it is being edited by so called experts," Kondabolu said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
David Monniaux
posted 4/27/07 @ 3:18 PM EST
"In an attempt to guard against misinformation, Wikipedia does employ editors who read articles and correct apparent mistakes."
False. The Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia is not a legal entity, the Foundation is the legal entity behind Wikipedia) does not employ any editor. (Continued…)
Jay Bhatt
posted 5/04/07 @ 10:59 AM EST
Whether to use Wikipedia or not use Wikipedia depends on what you need and how you are going to use the information you find.
If you need an authoritative scholarly resource for your research paper, Wikipedia is not your best choice. (Continued…)
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