Wikipedia Comes of Age - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education - 0 views
-
Not all information is created equal. The bottom layers (the most ubiquitous, whose sources are the most ephemeral, and with the least amount of validation) lead to layers with greater dependability, all the way to the highest layers, made up mostly of academic resources maintained and validated by academic publishers that use multiple peer reviews, trained editors, and scholarly reviewers.
-
Most of the nearly 2,500 students who responded said they consult Wikipedia, but when questioned more deeply, it became clear that they use it for, as one student put it, "pre-research."
-
Wikipedia is comprehensive, current, and far and away the most trustworthy Web resource of its kind. It is not the bottom layer of authority, nor the top, but in fact the highest layer without formal vetting.
- ...5 more annotations...
-
Concise and interesting opinion piece about the role of Wikipedia in research. The author argues that many students use Wikipedia for 'pre-research,' and that it serves a valuable and valid step towards finding the best evidence. Ultimately, this article calls for scholars to increase the links between peer-reviewed authoritative sources and Wikipedia articles. -
Does a 'harm control' approach to research seem like the best option to you? What role do teachers at all levels of education have to play? Librarians?
