How to Avoid Wikipedia Woes
Do you consider Wikipedia an essential reference tool or something to be wary of as a resource? For some, it's a little bit of both. How many times have you read a Wikipedia entry only to take what it says as the truth? Many people believe the site to be accurate in most cases, but according to a recent MSNBC.com article, false statements appear on the site despite the diligent editors who curate the content.
Wikipedia can often be a breeding ground for hoaxes, rumors and factual errors. For example: Paul Reiser was reported deceased in 2008 (he isn't), Tony Blair worships Hitler (he doesn't) and Ted Kennedy was supposed to have passed away in January (he passed away in August).
The fact that we often accept a Wikipedia entry as if it were written by a trusted source can lead to gossip or make untrue information appear true. That isn't to say that the things being said aren't accurate, because they very well could be -- yet, it's a good idea to tread lightly and consider the sources at the bottom of an entry when you read information on the website.
According to the MSNBC article, Wikipedia knows that this is a problem and seeks to improve the accuracy of the site's entries. Certain pages will need to get approved before they go out into the world, which they hope will prevent false rumors from starting.
So how can you avoid Wikipedia woes in the meantime? Read on to find out.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Don't make Wikipedia your only source. This is true of any research project and as a general practice. It is a bad idea to rely on Wikipedia as your only source even if you are just looking for some quick information online. The fact that each entry could have been written by anybody, who is not necessarily an authority, means that there is a margin of error. Wikipedia discloses that they don't have an editorial board, which means that incorrect facts could go unnoticed.
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What do you do if you happen to find an error on a Wikipedia page? Well, the nice thing to do would be to get an account and edit that page if you are able. If not, you can contact Wikipedia to report any errors you find. I've included the link at the bottom of this article.
Misinformation can be upsetting. For example, a Wikipedia page once reported that John Sigenthaler, a journalist, helped assassinate President Kennedy and his brother Robert. He didn't, of course, but the Wikipedia entry remained uncorrected for over 4 months.
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Use it as a starting point. When gathering information, Wikipedia can still be valuable. Instead of using it as your only source, just use it to point you in the right direction. One great feature is the "Resources" section at the end of each entry. Consider reading some of those sources to the source of facts in the article.
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Tips & Warnings
Not everything you read on Wikipedia is true!
Related Searches
Resources
Comments
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pixelmamoe
Aug 22, 2010
Help my 12 year old with high funtioning autism kept posting citations on Wikipedia that were not accurate, without our knowledge - nothing profane, but let's just say he became a nuisance and now Wikipedia has blocked our access through our IP address. Is there a way we can remedy this? I can't even access Wikipedia to find out who we can contact? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! -
mrtwiki
Oct 06, 2009
So very true - I often hear of people who swear by wikipedia or other social information sites. imo: it's silly, if not dangerous on some topics, to uses social information sites like this without caution. I very very rarely use wikipedia and when I do it's usually for non critical information or that which I already know.
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tracysmith159
Sep 27, 2009
Thanks for the good information. I would expect a site like wikpedia to make sure the information is correct, but I also understand how they get lots of incorrect informatio per day. I would be a large task to keep up with the new information.
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captaincrispy
Sep 26, 2009
Wikipedia is a bit of a hit or miss. I guess the theory is that all of its information will eventually be factual and true because people are always updating it and correcting it. I once had a professor use Wikis for sources for his classroom speeches, yet expect us to get better information. I wasn't very impressed. Great article.
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penmom
Sep 26, 2009
Great tip about Wikipedia. I unfortunately discovered some problems (ie: bad words) when researching a topic with my children. Way to get the word out. Great article!
