Reliability Of Wikipedia Essay

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Undoubtedly, the convenient accessing and easy searching of Wikipedia have changed the way people learn about an unfamiliar topic. Before people have Wikipedia in their daily life, they have to turn the encyclopedia page after page for seeking knowledge. However, now people can easily search for any information on Wikipedia. Even though it is not a reliable source for academic research, people still can gain some particularly useful materials from Wikipedia for general knowledge; therefore, it is quite efficient for general using. On the other hand, as for more serious activities or academic research, it is not rational to adopt Wikipedia because of the imprecise content, the risk of vandalism, and the reliability of Wikipedia.
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The information on Wikipedia is contributed by anyone who wants to post material because “Any Wikipedia article could be edited by any reader, even those who did not have a Wikipedia account” (“Wikipedia” sec. 1); thus, the expertise of the writers is not taken into consideration because we do not know who create those information. In addition, “Although changes are not systematically reviewed, the software that powers Wikipedia provides certain tools allowing anyone to review changes made by others” (“Wikipedia” sec. 1.2). In that case, some information on Wikipedia may be accurate, but there still exists a considerable risk in relying on those sources because experts do not review the Wikipedia’s entries. According to Wikipedia itself, “Articles for traditional encyclopedias such as Encyclopædia Britannica are carefully and deliberately written by experts, lending such encyclopedias a reputation for accuracy. Conversely, Wikipedia is often cited for factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations” (“Wikipedia” sec. 7.1). Consequently, audiences will probably read much useless information that are obsolete or that have been written by laymen. For example, the counting systems that the “Card counting” provides are relatively out of fashion. If readers recklessly employ those systems into real money game, they may lose lots of money in the

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