How reliable is wikipedia?

This is a question that is asked sometimes, recently on another thread, so I thought I’d post my thoughts here, in a separate thread. If I end up just talking to myself, well that’s okay, I do lots of that anyway. I also, in the past, have edited wikipedia a fair amount over the past twenty years. It was pointed out elsewhere that “Universities don't allow students to use Wiki as a source.” One of the reasons that information on wikipedia should be treated with caution is that there are folks who, in attempts to “prove” that wikipedia can’t be trusted, will go on it and insert false information. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is not that common but it does occur. One of the things I do every few days is check the article on “Recent deaths” a link to which is located on the wikipedia Main Page. In a past few days I found Gena Rowlands and Greg Kihn, both of whom died from “complications from Alzheimer's disease.” So go there and add Einar Kvaran and put that they died from complications from Alzheimer's disease and see what happens. If you register as an editor you will get the chance to put any article on a watchlist. I think most serious editors watch every page that they edit. If a change or edit occurs on a page on your watchlist, then you will be notified and can go check out what that edit was. If you doin’t like it you can remove it and risk getting into an “edit war.” Better if you don’t like it go to that article’s talk page and talk about it. Well that is getting long, but if any one wants to continue the discussion please do so.
Here are a few other links on the subject.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/11/09/more-professors-now-embrace-wikipedia-classroom
https://theconversation.com/is-wiki...line-encyclopedia-and-when-to-avoid-it-200636

 

Nice post CT.