Submitted by: Submitted by thrdbseshwcase3
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Category: Other Topics
Date Submitted: 11/01/2011 09:54 AM
Wikipedia: Credible or Not
Wikipedia: Credible or Not
One of the biggest debates regarding sources is if Wikipedia should be considered credible or not credible. Wikipedia is a free web based encyclopedia that is written by volunteers which means any article can be edited at any time with any type of information. Since Wikipedia began it has been accused of systemic bias, inconsistencies, reliability and its accuracy.
Not Credible
Many people believe that Wikipedia should not be a credible source because of its system bias, inconsistencies, reliability, and its accuracy. There are several points to consider when you are looking up material for your research paper. The first point is to check for articles that are fair and nonbiased. An easy way to determine this is look at how many sources are listed in the reference section. Another point is determining who wrote the article and what type of stance they have. This can be done by reading another article from this author to make sure he is valid. One of the last points is to start with Wikipedia to gain some knowledge about the subject but go somewhere else for further analysis. Wikipedia does have some weaknesses compared to the traditional encyclopedias such as there is no guarantee that important subjects are included, entries can be incomplete or in the middle of being updated at any time and the writers of entries often fail to cite their original sources. (Woods) Since Wikipedia is an open source encyclopedia, anyone is able to change, add, or modify the content relating to anything on Wikipedia. Wikipedia relies on qualified users to maintain, improve, and backing up the content. Because of this, many people are questioning if Wikipedia should be use since anyone is able to modify the information at anytime without authenticating the credibility of the work or subject matter.
Credible
“Not so long ago Wikipedia was considered a playground for Capitol Hill staffers to game the system and make...