Researching with Wikipedia

 
  I recently posted a note about an article about Wikipedia
where the author stated: "It is irresponsible for
educational institutions not to teach new knowledge
technologies such as Wikipedia."
   
  I've seen a lot of cases where people summarily dismiss
any use of Wikipedia. Interestingly, Wikipedia itself offers
a caveat for using Wikipedia for research projects:
   
  "As with any source, especially one of unknown
authorship, you should be wary and independently verify the
accuracy of Wikipedia information if possible. For many
purposes, but particularly in academia, Wikipedia may not be
considered an acceptable source; indeed, some professors and
teachers may throw Wikipedia-sourced material away out of
hand. This is especially true when it is used
uncorroborated. We advise special caution when using
Wikipedia as a source for research projects. However, we are
also confident that Wikipedia provides good overviews of
most topics that it covers"
   
  Wikipedians seem to have given this issue some thought.
Before dismissing Wikipedia as worthless, academics might be
interested in the following Wikipedia articles. They may not
change anyone's mind, but the criticism of Wikipedia may be
more well-informed.
   
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Research
ing_with_Wikipedia
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia
  h
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wikipedia
   
  Bernie Sloan

       
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