Reading #2

Can Wikipedia ever make the grade?

Wikipedia is a very alluring open source online encyclopedia that anyone can edit and add to. It is this openness however, that makes scholars wary. Because anyone can post, the site is in a constant state of change, which creates plenty of opportunity for abuse. A good example of this is Stephen Colbert changing a few posts on his show "The Colbert Report". Many people however, would argue that Wikipedia is just as credible if not more credible than many encyclopedias currently in print today.

A recent study done by the journal "Nature" compared accuracy of scientific articles in Wikipedia and also the Encyclopedia Britannica. It found that the Britannica articles have about 3 errors per page, while Wikipedia is sitting at around 4. While Britannica has argued against the study on their website, the findings have caused some scholars to rethink Wikipedia.

I believe that in the future Wikipedia, or something similar, will be a credible way for students, scholars, and interested people to gather information. The rules and guidelines will have to be much stricter for posters, but it should lead to a very successful and accurate hub for knowledge. There is a new project on the horizon called Citizendium, that hopes to be the credible source that Wikipedia cannot be, by having these stricter guidelines and rules, but you can't expect Wikipedia to just sit back and watch this happen. Plans are in the works to redo how articles are submitted, edited and reviewed, hopefully making it a more credible resource that can someday be widely accepted.