Did you know that Wikipedia can be a good source for writing papers? (insert No) Me neither!
Today (afternoon), we found out that Wikipedia is a reliable source to site for basically everything. It is more up to date than the text book we are using or a peer reviewed article. WHY? Because it is updated almost every day and reviewed. So my real question is why do people give it such big grief? I was always told in high school and throughout college, "DO NOT use Wikipedia or you will receive a F". It is mind blowing for me to thinking here is something that is always up to date and we can not use it. After considering the use of Wikipedia, I decided to search "How to use Wikipedia for Research". It was kind of funny because the first link to come up was, you guessed it, WIKIPEDIA. Instead of clicking on Wikipedia I decided to read a blog about using it for research and this is what it said:
Wikipedia is massive. It is the seventh most popular website worldwide and is consistently one of the top, if not the top, hit in a Google Search. Due to its vast amount of information and easily maneuverable user interface, it is usually the first resource that people use to learn about anything. This includes students.
However, because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, it is not a reliable source for academic citation. Yet, students still begin their research with a search on Wikipedia.
Here are three ways that students can utilize Wikipedia as a trustworthy research resource:
Research– At the bottom of each Wikipedia article is a “Reference” section. This section provides links to sources which can often act as reputable references for a student’s paper.
Wikipedia Projects– Many Wikipedia articles are authored through a joint effort of experts in a certain field. These experts often collaborate in “Wikiprojects.” A student is able to join a Wikiproject and can find links to valuable articles and might be able to personally connect to subject experts.
Reference Desk– Like a library reference desk, this resource provides users with answers to questions and suggests other helpful sources.
This is a great blog Malinda! First off, I love the use of the meme. The entire post is so true and I can't express how relatable this article is to me. Additionally, the 3 ways students can use Wikipedia are so useful. It is true that Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source as it has mistakes, but when using these 3 methods, Wikipedia become an incredible source for elementary students, secondary students, and even us adults.
ReplyDelete-Mr. Fayant
Spokane, WA
You did an excellent job of describing how your thought process on Wikipedia changed! I, too, had to change the way I looked at Wikipedia. Another thing that I though was so neat was that our students could possibly have the chance to input something to make a Wikipedia document more reliable. Talk about something cool to give children, and adults for that matter, a sense of purpose and accomplishment. My question to you would be, now that you know the 3 clicks to tell if the Wikipedia page is reliable, what would be the lowest rating you would use in a research article? What if you used the Wikipedia page, and then some of the content you used was changed or altered? Nice job Malinda.
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