https://youtu.be/HW4JTCB6DDk

If someone told me that they do not use Wikipedia, or at least have not in the past, I would be inclined to think they were lying. After all, Wikipedia is ranked the fifth most popular website on the internet and contains over five million articles for English speakers alone.

It is full of information for people of all ages and is especially enticing for school research and projects. So why is there such a stigma against the self-proclaimed ‘free encyclopedia’?

There is much that makes Wikipedia appealing. A 2005 study found that Wikipedia is nearly as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica. The website itself is also quite reader friendly, most articles filled with information, useful links that provide additional context and dozens of citations that list where the information came from.

What makes people, and especially teachers, so wary of Wikipedia is the foundation the website is built on. It is a free encyclopedia – anyone can edit the information and almost always does so anonymously. In the past, mistakes, whether intentional or accidental, have gone unnoticed and uncorrected for up to months at a time.

Mistakes that go unnoticed are rare, since it is quite easy for users to notice new changes and revert articles to their previous state. People may still be wary though, and rightfully so – but Wikipedia does have its benefits.

“[Wikipedia is] awesome for looking up general information, the background of a topic or subject. It’s also a great place to look up key terms,” Coppell High School librarian Cathy Arvizu said. “If we’re talking about academic work, though, it’s not necessarily the only work you want to cite.”

The bottom line is, especially for research, Wikipedia should be treated as any website – double checked across multiple websites for accuracy.

“One of the ways students use [Wikipedia] incorrectly is assuming that what’s in it is correct, because it isn’t always,” CHS GT English II teacher Collin Stephenson said.

He also says that the citations listed in Wikipedia articles should be checked for validity.

If students do not want to risk using Wikipedia, there are plenty of alternatives at their fingertips. On the CHS library webpage, there is a link “Library Catalog and Databases.” This can be used for students to find information on their topics written by experts in their field.

Wikipedia is a useful resource for students but should never be the end-all, be-all. It is great for general information on topics that students may have no prior knowledge on and allows them to form their own creative outlooks on the subject. As long as it is used wisely, Wikipedia is a great source for students to get started with.

Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthony_SK2017