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I can't count how many times I've used that phrase before. I would be sitting around the dinner table having a friendly argument with my family and after a hearty discussion I would say "Alright, time to Wikipedia the answer." Wikipedia has become an everyday tool for the online generation. It provides quick answers to an unlimited number of topics. Whether you want to look up a virus strain, a political figure, or a TV show - Wikipedia probably has a page for it. The great thing about Wikipedia is that it can be edited by any user. If you write a few paragraphs on a subject then someone else can come in and add or edit existing information.
However, you have to be careful about the information posted. Yes, Wikipedia is useful if you need a general idea of a topic but it would not be appropriate to use as a reference in an academic paper you're writing. Because it can be changed by any user, the information might not be accurate. While reading through some fellow classmate's blogs I came across Kelsie's. She makes a great point saying how Wikipedia can be a reliable source if you verify the references and only use it as a starting point. I completely agree with this. If you can critically read the page and determine whether it can be given "good article" status then I think it would be acceptable to use. Kelsie also quoted a TA (Erin Dul) who gave a lecture recently saying that "using only Wikipedia is like eating only a diet of Big Mac's" It's fine once in a while but don't use it for lots of information all the time. To obtain more accurate information, I would suggest going to the references and using the articles or websites that the poster used. This is why Wikipedia is not the best source for academic work but is great for general knowledge.
I was really excited when we were given the assignment this week in ALES 204. We were supposed to find a Wikipedia stub of our choice and add information of our own. I chose to do my entry on EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). This refers to any eating disorder that is not classified as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa. EDNOS is often overlooked because it has wider parameters for diagnosis than the other categories of eating disorders and isn't considered as serious. I noticed this even when looking up eating disorders on Wikipedia. Anorexia and Bulimia had long entries with lots of links and headings while EDNOS had around a 150 word paragraph. I was really excited while I was researching EDNOS because it is related to my field and I'm particularly interested in mental illnesses and eating disorders. The first part was easy; all I had to do was research my topic and write a well-written short article on it. However, once I finished the article in Word, I realized I had to use a bunch of mark ups to format the entry properly. This is where I started to like the assignment a little less. It was difficult to figure out how to make headings and link to other pages. In order to do this, I looked up other Wikipedia pages and found aspects of the page that I liked. Then I would click edit and this would show me how the previous poster used markups to format the article. This portion of the assignment probably took the most time but I think my page turned out alright.
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I think that doing this assignment really helped the class understand the reliability of Wikipedia. It's one thing to say in lecture that anyone can update stubs and change information but it's another to see it first hand yourself. When I began to add my information to the stub, I noticed that I could have changed anything the previous poster had posted very easily. Then, I began to worry that someone else would edit after me and they could have changed my information! I would be pretty angry if I put all this time into a writing a well written, accurate article just to have someone edit it and add false information. I also realized how few Wikipedia entries have "good article" status. This will definitely change how I use Wikipedia in the future. I will be cautious of the information and only use it to gain background knowledge. If I want to be more informed, I can use the references posted on the page.
Photo References:
1. Wikipedia Logo [Digital Image]. 2012. Retrieved on March 22, 2012, from http://ohinternet.com/File:Wikipedia-logo.png
2. EDNOS Wikipedia Page [Screenshot]. 2012. Taken on March 22, 2012 by me
This post is a really good example of looking at both sides of an argument while still giving the reader your position on the issue. I really enjoyed the personal examples that were given about this subject because of how it draws me, as the reader, into your topic. I really like the photograph because it gives the physical page of what you did. However, I may have placed the photo in a different location within the post just because it made reading it a little disjointed. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this post!
ReplyDeleteHey Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI am also a students in NUFS major Hecol minor. I am very interested in the topic you chose. I did not know that EDNOS had a wiki page. I must agree with you it is very frustrating to think that the information provided on Wikipedia may be faulty and played with, especially considering that some people put a lot of time and effort into the information they add.
Hi Steph! I really enjoyed reading your post. I can totally relate to your using of "Wikipedia" as a verb, just like "Google", but it's a bit more awkward to say haha. You provided an excellent analysis of the uses of Wikipedia - as a starting point, not for accurate details. Reflecting on my own use of Wikipedia, I think I rely on it too heavily. I pretty much believe everything I see on there, when I probably should be taking it with a grain of salt, because, like you mentioned, anyone can edit the entries so easily.
ReplyDeleteYour Wikipedia stub looks really professional! If I hadn't known the author, I would've assumed an eating disorders expert had written it. I also think EDNOS is a condition too overlooked; although it's not as serious as anorexia or bulimia, it's still a serious physical/mental health concern. It's nice to see more Wikipedia information about EDNOS. Thanks for your interesting post!