Greetings--
Penny wrote:
Someone used Wikipedia as a source in a message, so I thought I would
add my two cents...
Wikipedia is not really a good source. If a college student quotes
Wikipedia, they lose points. Wikipedia can be edited or information
added by anyone. The website started as a copy of a 1910s?
encyclopedia that was put online. The owner of the site, decided to
let anyone update the information.
Wikipedia can actually be a fabulous source--but it can also be a
terrible one. You need to go into using Wikipedia knowing what it is
and is not, and then proceed accordingly, using your critical eye. Like
any encyclopedia--including the traditional kind--it's a jumping-off
point.
I wouldn't say flat out that college students would lose points for
quoting Wikipedia--it would depend entirely on what and how they were
writing. If they're doing a piece on "popular conceptions of X", I
would think Wikipedia would be an excellent source--but not so much for
the facts, but for the perceptions. If they're trying to use it
strictly as their main source of information on a topic--then yes, they
should be docked.
Susan
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