Oh young people ...

[blamebrampton]

I caught a news snippet while rushing to get dressed this morning. It was on the 10th anniversary of Wikipedia, and the journalist was interviewing a schoolboy who looked about 17. He told her that he used Wikipedia regularly and found it to be a good source. When the journalist asked him about the varying credibility and skill of Wikipedia contributors, he stared in wide-eyed horror.

After a moment, he replied, 'Well, I've only just found out about that. I thought that there was a central place it all came from where everything was checked! This is big news. I am going to have to think about this at length!'

Twelve hours later, I have nearly stopped giggling.

Comments

[cinnatart.livejournal.com]

I would say I'm surprised but I'm not. I used to edit university articles and thesis papers that would cite Wiki. I wish I were kidding.

[drgaellon]

Our University academic code forbids Wikipedia as a source. (Hasn't stopped me from using it for the basics, though.)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If you already know the answer, it can be all right as an aide memoire, and some pages link to good sites and are well resourced, but you need to know enough about a topic before you go there to know whether or not you are going somewhere useful or not. There should be a test to determine who can and can't be trusted to read Wiki (as well as edit it ;-)).

[cinnatart.livejournal.com]

Yeah I don't know if this Uni has or not, but I know if I were a professor I'd state it in the syllabus that anyone citing Wiki automatically fails.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If they were on media studies, sociology, or open source networks, maybe ... but otherwise, ARGH!

[cinnatart.livejournal.com]

They weren't =D hahahahaha.

I love our shared outrage.

[winterthunder.livejournal.com]

Definitely seen that one. It's amazing, and really sad when you consider that 95% of the time, you can look up Wikipedia's citations and go straight to a legitimate source.

[cinnatart.livejournal.com]

THIS. I would hand them back and tell them I'd read it when they followed/used/cited the proper sources at the bottom of Wiki. It's amazing how many of them DON'T REALISE that they're there.