Wikipedia has the ability to create and edit articles very quickly, but that comes at a cost. Allowing any user to edit the content ultimately will produce false information. Wikipedia warns users that new articles may contain false data or a bias point of view from the start. However, as editors add to the articles, eventually it balances out to achieve a comprehensive coverage of the subject. An expert team led by nature investigated both Wikipedia and Britannica for accuracy. There were 42 entries tested on science-related subjects form each company. Once the information was reviewed Wikipedia had four major inaccuracies to Britannica’s three; Wikipedia only had 123 minor errors to Britannica’s 162 (Giles, 2005).
Over time there have been some significant incidents related to the information provided by Wikipedia. One of the most popular incidents was a biography about John Seigenthaler Sr. An anonymous user posted a hoax article suggesting that John Seigenthaler had something to do with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. This erroneous data went undetected for 132 days before someone brought it to John’s attention (Seigenthaler, 2005). Unfortunately, it took a while to realize this mistake, but it is a rare occasion that something like this happens. Because of the number of people visiting and editing the site there are constant changes made to hopefully keep the data factual (Wikipedia:About).
Two professors at Lycoming College set out on an adventure to test student’s research skills. The goals of the assignment were to research Islamic history, learn about the use of Wikipedia as a research tool, learn wiki-technology, and become more informed information consumers. At the end of the semester the students had to write a Wikipedia article on their particular portion of the project. Knowing the articles would be on the web for the world to see, the students put a great deal of pride and hard work into the project. As a part of the final project the students had to do a show and tell of the article they wrote for the Wikipedia site. To their surprise most of the student’s articles had already been edited by the time they were shown to the professor. The students could not believe that someone else changed the outcome of their hard work. As a result of this project the students realized how to properly use Wikipedia when performing research (Chandler, 2010).
Printed encyclopedias are well respected for the information because the subjects are researched and edited by professionals. This process takes time and as a result the information can be outdated by the time a new edition comes out. Due to the professional editing these cyclopedias are harder to read and understand. Users of Wikipedia praise the style in which the articles are written because they are easier to understand.
Wikipedia definitely has its downside, but it is becoming closer to and closer to printed encyclopedias. Some people say that because users can edit articles it makes the site less credible, although others look at it as a strength because the information gets updated to reflect accuracy faster. It is discouraging to some that Wikipedia is not accepted as a source but as the students at Lycoming discovered, it can be a valuable step in research, just not the stopping point.