Why is Wikipedia a good source?

Why is Wikipedia a good source?

Wikipedia offers free and reliable information instantly. This means all information “must be presented accurately and without bias”; sources must come from a third party; and a Wikipedia article is notable and should be created if there has been “third-party coverage of the topic in reliable sources”.

Is Wikipedia a reliable source of health information?

“Don’t use Wikipedia for medical advice,” warns The Independent after a survey found factual errors in 9 out of 10 articles about the 10 most common medical conditions. Other studies have found that Wikipedia showed good agreement with peer-reviewed sources. …

What are the benefits of Wikipedia?

PROS to using Wikipedia

• Can help you get started with a general idea of what a topic is about.
• Nicely-organized and easy-to-use pages.
• Cross-referenced to related information.
• Wide range of information, much of which is becoming more reliable.

Is Wikipedia mostly accurate?

The paper found that Wikipedia’s entries had an overall accuracy rate of 80 percent, whereas the other encyclopedias had an accuracy rate of 95 to 96 percent.

Is Wikipedia a reliable source for students?

However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable, because Wikipedia is not a reliable source. This is because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any moment. Although when an error is recognized, it is usually fixed.

How is Wikipedia useful for students?

Effectively navigating a Wikipedia article can provide students with an opportunity to learn about peer review, sourcing, footnotes, and internet research. It also teaches critical-thinking skills.

Is Wikipedia reliable for medical students?

In conclusion, despite the effort placed in creating Wikipedia respiratory articles by anonymous volunteers (wikipedians), most articles had knowledge deficiencies, were not accurate, and were not suitable for medical students as learning resources.

Is Wikipedia Good for medical students?

Using Wikipedia’s internal metrics, our own independent qualitative grading criteria, and objective quantitative measures of readability, we have demonstrated that medical students are able to improve the quality of Wikipedia’s health-related articles during a monthlong course, simultaneously develop their skills as …

Is Wikipedia good for learning?

What is the purpose of Wikipedia?

Wikipedia’s purpose is to benefit readers by acting as a widely accessible and free encyclopedia; a comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge.

Is Wikipedia a good source to cite?

Although Wikipedia is a good place to start your research, it is not a credible source that you should use to cite from. Wikipedia allows multiple users to edit, and it is not safe to assume that the facts presented there have been checked before publishing them. Wikipedia’s policy does say that references should be used whenever possible,

Is Wikipedia a reliable source of information?

That said, Wikipedia entries are generally in the forefront of any web research and can be great sources to get preliminary information on a topic and find reliable sources through their notes, references, external links and further reading sections. Here’s how you can use Wikipedia for your research:

Where can I find a list of frequently discussed sources?

For a list of frequently discussed sources, see Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources. This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though it is best treated with common sense, and occasional exceptions may apply.

What makes a Wikipedia article good or bad?

Wikipedia articles should be based on reliable, published sources, making sure that all majority and significant minority views that have appeared in those sources are covered (see Wikipedia:Neutral point of view ). If no reliable sources can be found on a topic, Wikipedia should not have an article on it .