Pros And Cons Of Wikipedia
Wikipedia: Free Citations to the Free Encyclopedia
In 2006, a study found that about eighty-seven percent of Wikipedia’s articles did not contain errors (Maehre). Wikipedia has been criticized by many who believe that its editorial process creates a source of information that is erroneous, uneven in quality, and subject to acts of deliberate attempts to lower the accuracy of information (Belanger). The website 's millions of registered users, supporters, and administrators argue that they can edit the erroneous information found on Wikipedia, thus making the articles more veracious, comprehensive, and reliable (Belanger). A board member of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, says that the more frequently people use Wikipedia, the more they will come to …show more content…
It covers topics in the Euro-American world, for instance in 360 B.C., when Plato attacks the Athenian democracy in the Republic (Shaw). Even the most academic of sources have neglected these topics because they were not, what they considered, adequate for their intellectual ideas (Shaw). Wales said that when he had heard that Wikipedia was cited for the definition of the term “turducken” he had laughed, thinking, “What other source would you use? Britannica does not cover this nonsense” (Shaw). “Journalist Cathy Davidson had recently researched the origins of calculus, and found the standard Western histories, generally credited by England 's Isaac Newton and Germany 's Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. But Wikipedia went much further with the discovery, tracing basic calculus functions back to the Egyptians in 1800 B.C., and then to China, India, and Mesopotamia—all hundreds of years before the Europeans” (Shaw). It is evident that other encyclopedias do not contain the vast number of diverse articles Wikipedia does; therefore, Wikipedia should be considered a credible …show more content…
Wikipedia continually updates its information, making it easy for new data to be added expeditiously; traditional print encyclopedias, such as the World Book Encyclopedia, take years to update (Chandler). One problem with the old encyclopedia system was that none of the information reflected recent changes or current events (Belanger). For example, if someone was interested in studying more about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 or 1964, they would have to rely on either newspapers, television or radio accounts of the assassination until the assassination was written in a new volume of the encyclopedia (Belanger); something that could take years. The deaths of famous people are generally written into a Wikipedia article the day they occur (Belanger). Wikipedia provides instant access to something that may have happened only a few minutes prior; and therefore should be considered a reliable
In 2006, a study found that about eighty-seven percent of Wikipedia’s articles did not contain errors (Maehre). Wikipedia has been criticized by many who believe that its editorial process creates a source of information that is erroneous, uneven in quality, and subject to acts of deliberate attempts to lower the accuracy of information (Belanger). The website 's millions of registered users, supporters, and administrators argue that they can edit the erroneous information found on Wikipedia, thus making the articles more veracious, comprehensive, and reliable (Belanger). A board member of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, says that the more frequently people use Wikipedia, the more they will come to …show more content…
It covers topics in the Euro-American world, for instance in 360 B.C., when Plato attacks the Athenian democracy in the Republic (Shaw). Even the most academic of sources have neglected these topics because they were not, what they considered, adequate for their intellectual ideas (Shaw). Wales said that when he had heard that Wikipedia was cited for the definition of the term “turducken” he had laughed, thinking, “What other source would you use? Britannica does not cover this nonsense” (Shaw). “Journalist Cathy Davidson had recently researched the origins of calculus, and found the standard Western histories, generally credited by England 's Isaac Newton and Germany 's Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. But Wikipedia went much further with the discovery, tracing basic calculus functions back to the Egyptians in 1800 B.C., and then to China, India, and Mesopotamia—all hundreds of years before the Europeans” (Shaw). It is evident that other encyclopedias do not contain the vast number of diverse articles Wikipedia does; therefore, Wikipedia should be considered a credible …show more content…
Wikipedia continually updates its information, making it easy for new data to be added expeditiously; traditional print encyclopedias, such as the World Book Encyclopedia, take years to update (Chandler). One problem with the old encyclopedia system was that none of the information reflected recent changes or current events (Belanger). For example, if someone was interested in studying more about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 or 1964, they would have to rely on either newspapers, television or radio accounts of the assassination until the assassination was written in a new volume of the encyclopedia (Belanger); something that could take years. The deaths of famous people are generally written into a Wikipedia article the day they occur (Belanger). Wikipedia provides instant access to something that may have happened only a few minutes prior; and therefore should be considered a reliable