BY BRANDON SLOANE
Research assignments have long been ingrained into the curriculum of most high school courses. Teachers expect us as students to explore and examine the content of the subject that we have been assigned by looking through a multitude of different sites and sources. However, just about every teacher will make one glaring exception to this rule: No using Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org is the largest online encyclopedia in the world and is used over 426 million times each month. Nevertheless, most teachers still feel that Wikipedia is not a credible source to use for research on school related projects. What they fail to realize is that Wikipedia is one of the most reliable sources of information.
One reason why Wikipedia (Wiki for short) is trustworthy is because of its extensive use of citations on each page. At the bottom of every article there is a reference section which lists anywhere from 10-100 different sources where it obtained the information from. Just about every sentence in all Wiki articles are taken from other sources from multiple articles, quotes, pictures, and even sound bytes in some cases. It serves as a medium to bring together all the information on one topic onto one organized and neat webpage. The fact that Wikipedia is essentially a collaboration of many credible sources proves its worth.
Another aspect of Wiki that proves its reliability is the editing feature on the site. Whenever there is incorrect information on any Wikipedia page, members on the site are allowed to go in and correct the error. Since just about anyone with internet connection can do this, it provides for almost instantaneous ability to fix the article. While some naysayers believe that the free editing feature of Wiki makes it a liability for wrong information, the truth of the matter is that it is almost impossible to vandalize or sabotage an article. Many popular Wikipedia articles are either fully protected (where only administrators on the site can edit it) or semi-protected (where only logged in members who have been confirmed by administration can edit it). These editors work diligently to protect the integrity of Wikipedia and should be given the utmost trust and respect.
But what should most importantly be taken into consideration when considering the validity of Wikipedia, is how often it is used in various real world situations. Major publications in over 25 countries all over the world have cited Wikipedia in their writings. There have even been over 100 court cases that have referenced Wiki during the trials (some of these cases even went to the Supreme Court). If our legal system is willing to trust Wikipedia, I think our teachers should too.
It doesn’t make sense for teachers to continue to ban Wikipedia as a credible source of information to use on reports. It has been proven to be dependable through its extensive list of references and professional editors. When people need to find information on something quickly, they will search Wikipedia nine times out of ten. And nine times out of ten they will get the information they need in no time at all. Because of its speed, organization, and undeniable credibility, there really is no better place for a student to find information on the web anywhere.
