[WikiEN-l] New policy proposal

Sat Dec 11 23:13:16 UTC 2004

David Gerard wrote

> What we need is to encourage a culture of including references.

I'm happy if I can get a good book or two referenced, and an external link
or so to corroborate.  I am totally against having to footnote everything.
That is a lame way to have to write - training wheels for Ph.D. students.

Basic point for me, in fact becoming fundamental: WP is not an academic
institution, and can't afford 'guild restrictions'.  Leaving the question of
what it is.

We need to have the word 'para-academic' in mind.  WP can be everyone's
resource of quick access, to extent that they have an Internet connection.
WP can be one of the Seven Wonders of the Web.  WP can make para-academic
sound very good: not the thesis of 300000 words on a humanities subject, but
the executive summary.  Please don't tell me that WP can go head-to-head
with academia.  Of course cranking up the standards would help, generally
speaking; of course making formats for references less slapdash, and having
some editing tools for that, would also be a plus.

Charles