Can Wikipedia be an acceptable research source?
02/21/07 11:55 PM Filed in: Current
topics in education
This is an interesting article because it brings to
light a debate that has been brewing for quite some
time. Can Wikipedia be an
acceptable research source? In my opinion,
yes. But there is one caveat to that "yes."
First, since Wikipedia is open
for anyone to edit the information found on
the site should be backed up with credible
research. If a students wants to use Wikipedia as a
research I think it is acceptable as long as
the information they are citing has credible
research and data that supports the claims.
In the case of the History Department at Middlebury College, I think that the department did what they felt they had to do. Students had the privilege of using Wikipedia as a source but failed to make sure that the information they were using was credible. Any good educational institution is going to teach students to be extra cautious and critical of online resources. The web is built on the idea that anyone can contribute and say what they want. Wikipedia is simply a concentrated form of the ideology. Since a majority of the students in the History Department at Middlebury College failed verify their sources, I think the administration took appropriate action.
Source:
Cohen, Noam (2007, February 21). A history department bans citing wikipedia as a research source. The New York Times, Retrieved February 23, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/education/21wikipedia.html?ex=1174017600&en=87a78775b083bd05&ei=5070
In the case of the History Department at Middlebury College, I think that the department did what they felt they had to do. Students had the privilege of using Wikipedia as a source but failed to make sure that the information they were using was credible. Any good educational institution is going to teach students to be extra cautious and critical of online resources. The web is built on the idea that anyone can contribute and say what they want. Wikipedia is simply a concentrated form of the ideology. Since a majority of the students in the History Department at Middlebury College failed verify their sources, I think the administration took appropriate action.
Source:
Cohen, Noam (2007, February 21). A history department bans citing wikipedia as a research source. The New York Times, Retrieved February 23, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/education/21wikipedia.html?ex=1174017600&en=87a78775b083bd05&ei=5070
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