Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wikipedia
As you all know Wikipedia is looked down upon by most of our professors and they will even punish you for using it. I think that is ridiculous of them because I'm sure at some point in there career they've used wikipedia for something or they might even use it all the time. As they said in the video we watched in class the other day Wikipedia has less errors than most other reference materials. This just puzzles me as to why professors and teachers are so harsh about Wikipedia when it really is probably the best referencing source avaliable to us as students. We are all in college now and most of us can determine what in wikipedia is correct and what is not. So, I believe that Wikipedia should be the most used resource in projects.
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I agree with you. I think they have a hard time believing that something that someone else wrote that isn't a genius about it, could actually be correct. Well, that's what I think. And I also feel that they want us to have to work extra hard and telling us we can't use wikipedia we make that happen because almost every topic in the world is on wikipedia so it is an easy tool to use making some projects easier to complete.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I like to do since we can't cite Wikipedia directly is go to their sources at the bottom of the page. If nothing else they're a really good jumping off point for research. I think you are right in some instances though- for example, if you're not doing a research paper, perhaps you're doing a creative project or something not rigorously "academic" then some lenience should be given. If it's accepted as common knowledge, its just about as good as truth if you take the "perception is reality" approach to life." I agree with Jessica also though, that sometimes they just say that as some kind of device to further complicate our lives - essentially saying " I know all the information you need is together in this one source for you, but sorry, its not 'academic' so you can't use it."
ReplyDeleteI think the reason most professors are anti-wikipedia is because they are misinformed. I never realized wikipedia had fewer errors than published encyclopedias until we watched the debate. Most professors probably don't realize that wikipedia has become a very accurate source of information, they just base their decision on the fact that the information is "user" supplied or edited.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good resource, but I believe that you shouldn't rely on wikipedia all the time just because of the fact that anyone can change the article.
ReplyDeleteI think wikipedia is a good resource to use to start out with, but I think you definitely still need to look other places just to make sure that the information you're getting is correct. Teachers do use wikipedia, but I can understand in some instances why they wouldn't want students to cite it.
ReplyDeleteI have used Wikipedia to find sources, and I cite these sources, not Wikipedia, as references. Wikipedia is definitely a valuable tool for this purpose, but ultimately, I don't trust it enough to cite directly. I know that Wikipedia is constantly monitored by its users, but even if incorrect information is removed as soon as possible, it may not be removed before I can use it. Of course, even an academic source may not be accurate, but I would trust it more.
ReplyDeleteI use Wikipedia many times as a starting point of research or to get a better understanding about a topic. Then once I gain some insight to the topic I am researching, qualify it with other resources to validate the information.
ReplyDeleteI think that Wikipedia should be able to be used, BUT only with other trusted sources that support your research.