I don’t really use Wikipedia for scholarly research. I occasionally use it to look things up, like text speak, but never for anything that I have turned in. I have always heard it was an unreliable site, so I just never used it for papers or school work. When I am doing research, I usually start on specific health sites depending on the topic; most often the Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Mental Health or the Alan Guttmacher Institute websites. If I have a more broad topic I am an avid google user. I wish that I had read the article on google years ago; I didn’t know any of those search tips!
When I am teaching, I would only accept Wikipedia as a source if I had already taught my students about website credibility first. I would have them use the worksheet that we used in class that checked for accuracy, authority, objectivity and currency of the website. If they follow that rubric each time they used Wikipedia, then I would allow my students to quote it in their research. Because Wikipedia is “self policed” and anyone can be an author, it is very important to make sure the information is valid.
I thought it was interesting that the article talked about Schopenhauer’s
“stages of truth” in regards to Wikipedia. I am at the stage where the truth of Wikipedia is self evident. In my limited use of Wikipedia I have found several very reliable pages. With more than a million visitors a day, Wiki is here to stay. The article also mentioned that Wikipedia seems to have a page for everything; whereas encyclopedias do not. Wikipedia is a very up to date resource to use, provided it has reliable citations.
My policy regarding internet research would be that students need to check for the age of the page, if the information can be cross referenced, if the author is trying to sell something or sway an opinion and the credibility of the author. If all of those things check out, then the student can use that website as a resource. I also plan on playing the google game with my students so they can use their research time wisely. One other website I might have them use is the portaportal. I like the idea of being able to link to several reliable sources for easy access to the student and teacher. This would also enable me to provide actual representations of what reliable websites look like, in case the students need examples.
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I agree with you that I would only allow students to use Wikipedia if they knew how to evaluate websites first. Although a lot of the information is correct, I come across little blurbs every now and then that seem questionable. I would want students to know to be cautious and use their best judgement.
ReplyDeleteI have used a similar approach to searches. I first try to find a subject related site, and only use Wikipedia as a last resort. This is because I've always heard scary things about the reliability, and some of my past teachers wouldn't even accept stuff from Wikipedia. I also agree that Wikipedia is here to stay, so we better get used to it.
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