Module B: Wikipedia
Wikipedia
What is Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia. Unlike traditional encyclopaedias, for example the Encyclopaedia Britannica, pages in Wikipedia are written collaboratively by anybody who wishes to add information.
Contributors from all over the world volunteer their time and knowledge to add content, but they do not need to be experts in the subjects they write about.
Wikipedia pages can be edited at any time, so new information can be added quickly to keep articles up to date. Information you read on Wikipedia today, may be changed or deleted tomorrow.
Should I use Wikipedia for my Research?
Wikipedia is not an authoritative source of information for academic study. This means you should not quote from Wikipedia in your assignments.
However, like other encyclopaedias, Wikipedia can be useful as background reading. When you are researching a new topic, Wikipedia may give you an overview and introduce you to its concepts and related terminology. Also, many Wikipedia pages have sections of “References”, “Sources” or “Further reading” which can help you identify more reliable sources on the subject you are researching.
What should I consider when reading Wikipedia pages?
Wikipedia contributors are anonymous, so you cannot know if a page was written by an author who has good expertise in this area.
Many Wikipedia pages are comprehensive, well-referenced introductions to a topic, but many pages also contain errors, bias, out-dated information or deliberate misinformation.
In common with all other sources, you should always use critical judgement when reading Wikipedia pages.
What to look out for checklist
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1. Check the Facts
Check if the facts and information you read can be backed up by other, more authoritative, information sources.
- 2. Look for warning banners
Look out for warning banners on the Wikipedia page. If Wikipedia contributors or readers notice a problem with a specific page, they may add a warning banner to alert readers and to encourage other contributors to improve the page.
Pay attention to such warning messages as they can highlight articles which may be out of date, biased, lack reliable sources or miss out important aspects of their topic.
- 3. Check for Featured Articles
Check for “featured” articles. Pages which are considered to be of particularly high quality may be marked as “featured” articles.
- 4. Ask yourself the following questions
Even if you do not see a warning message, it is useful to keep the following questions in mind when evaluating the quality of a Wikipedia page:
- Does the article explain the topic clearly?
- Does the article have citations which show the sources which indicate where the facts were taken from? Are the sources which were used authoritative and are they appropriate for the information in the article?
- 5. Check the Talk Page
If you remain unsure about the quality or reliability of a Wikipedia article, look at its “Talk” page. This will show any conversations between the various authors or readers of the page and may highlight areas of controversy or discussions about the article's validity.
The “Talk” page may also include a grade which gives you further clues about the quality of the article.
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