tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424038.post115462459276272505..comments2023-11-16T18:28:45.786+08:00Comments on Rambling Librarian :: Incidental Thoughts of a Singapore Liblogarian: Is there really a "problem" with using Wikis as information resources?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424038.post-1155258267733580682006-08-11T09:04:00.000+08:002006-08-11T09:04:00.000+08:00the way i see it, wikipedia is a starting point. j...the way i see it, wikipedia is a starting point. just as looking for something on google can turn up garbage, wikipedia can turn up garbage, too. but we need to use our judgment with google, why can't we do the same with wikipedia? and yes, britannica has some pretty good garbage, too =)vonjobihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02913013566086229474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424038.post-1154697293986704542006-08-04T21:14:00.000+08:002006-08-04T21:14:00.000+08:00Hi Kevin, thanks for comments. I have to admit I d...Hi Kevin, thanks for comments. I have to admit I didn't know that wiki allow users to cite specific versions. "Almost criminal"? LOL, ah you make it sound so serious even I'm scared! heh heh. Actually it's not just librarians who have to "take responsibility to learn more about a new technology before dismissing it". I'd say everyone ought to do it. But I take your point -- GENERALLY SPEAKING, information professionals have a higher responsibility in this regard.Ivan Chewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02727226573817276108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424038.post-1154627407053860062006-08-04T01:50:00.000+08:002006-08-04T01:50:00.000+08:00Thanks for bringing this up Ivan. It's important f...Thanks for bringing this up Ivan. It's important for us to fully understand something before being critical about it.<BR/><BR/>Here's the definitive article from Nature journal comparing the accuracy of Britannica vs. Wikipedia. As you can see, the inaccuracies found in both is comparable, which is great news for Wikipedia which many think is more inaccurate. Don't forget that Wikipedia's ability to be updated more frequently also makes it more relevant than Britannica under certain situations. See http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051212/full/438900a.html<BR/><BR/>Also, librarians should take responsibility to learn more about a new technology before dismissing it. It's almost criminal not to know that we can cite specific versions of a Wiki page, which means even if the page has been updated, the appropriate permalink will bring you to the EXACT page you cited.<BR/><BR/>Finally, to add more usability to Wikipedia articles in research, the founders have recently added a "Cite this article" button on the left toolbar. This give you citations in MLA, APA and so on. <BR/><BR/>As always, Wikipedia is a great place a starting point to your research, not a place to end it. <BR/><BR/>BTW: For beginners, you can listen to an interesting radio interview introducing Wikipedia here: http://theory.isthereason.com/?p=755Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09093603817500103421noreply@blogger.com