Wikipedia: A Note to Students
John Ottenhoff,
Academic Commons,
Jul 04, 2006
Link to a proposed policy statement for students on the use of Wikipedia in the preparation of written assignments. Nothing I would particularly object to, though I wonder why similar warnings were not issued when I was a student. For example: "World Book, like other encyclopedias, is out of date from the moment it was published and will therefore contain numerous factual errors. In addition, the language of description and especially the selection of topics for inclusion will reflect a socio-cultural bias that may be inappropriate for a full understanding of some subjects." Come to think of it, maybe they should be issuing those warnings now - and similar warnings for books, magazines, newspapers and other paper-based publications.
And well, OK, I lied. I certainly disagree with this: "Because it is communal, dynamic, and unrefereed, Wikipedia is not really (or not just) an encyclopedia of knowledge." I think it is an encyclopedia just because it is is communal, dynamic, and unrefereed - as opposed to the unreliable and partisan authority-driven publications that claim that title today (I always found it ironic that the Encyclopedia of Philosophy had to be supplemented by the Dictionary of the History of Ideas).
And well, OK, I lied. I certainly disagree with this: "Because it is communal, dynamic, and unrefereed, Wikipedia is not really (or not just) an encyclopedia of knowledge." I think it is an encyclopedia just because it is is communal, dynamic, and unrefereed - as opposed to the unreliable and partisan authority-driven publications that claim that title today (I always found it ironic that the Encyclopedia of Philosophy had to be supplemented by the Dictionary of the History of Ideas).
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