On Fri, 2007-06-29 at 00:47 -0700, Cheney Shill wrote:
Interesting. A remarkable insight. So not only is
Wikipedia not NPOV or trustable, but it's OK because
encylopedias, including textbooks, in general are not
considered reliable sources by higher education. Could I
get the references that showed that consensus among
professors also refused other encyclopedias and not just
Wikipedia? Do they have any findings with regard to other
reference sources, such as textbooks and dictionaries?
Hmm, I think you may be misinterpreting my point somewhat. I'm certainly
not trying to justify any shortcomings Wikipedia has by saying "it's an
encyclopedia, so it's okay." However, the issue of Wikipedia's fitness
as a source is ultimately independent of point-of-view issues and the
like; if Wikipedia were somehow certified as completely neutral and
reliable by some hypothetical authority, it would still, as a tertiary
source, be no more appropriate as a cited reference for the kind of work
I'm referring to.
As far as data on professors' views of Wikipedia, I don't have anything
at my fingertips, but I'm speaking more about a general principle than
the current views of a majority of professionals in higher education.
From personal experience, I /can/ state that in university courses, as
well as some higher-tier high school courses (such as Advanced Placement
in the U.S.), I've been explicitly told that encyclopedias and textbooks
were not acceptable sources for research assignments.
--
Slowking Man (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Slowking_Man)