The Ocean of Information

This week in class we will be discussing Wikipedia and it's pros and cons. To help us prepare for this discussion we read various articles including A Stand Against Wikipedia by Scott Jaschik. The article discusses how Wikipedia has been infiltrating the school systems more and more and some schools are beginning to ban the use of it. Jaschik talks with several professors about the issue. Most note that Wikipedia does have some value but people are using it incorrectly.

The world of Wikipedia is such a catch 22 due to the fact that there is a plethora of correct information, some even more correct than the printed encyclopedias due to the immediacy that Wikipedia has, but there is also so much room for error in Wikipedia's system.

Here at Butler, all of my professors have told me that it is unacceptable to cite Wikipedia and would result in a lowered grade on a paper. I find this to be a reasonable rule, however that does not mean that I have never used a Wikipedia page for research. I think what people need to realize while researching is that Wikipedia is a good place to start but then take time to cross check your facts. Also, a lot of the time information on Wikipedia has a citation and there are links at the bottom to take you to the original source of the information.

Therefore my stand on Wikipedia is to not write it out of your research and learning overall, but just remember what you are reading and research further than just a single Wikipedia site. Anyone could be writing the article you are reading...