Wikipedia edit (Category edit)
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[Wikipedia / Accuracy (category)]
Wikipedia is the Greatest Site on the Internet (http://www.pjhyett.com/posts/196-wikipedia-is-the-greatest-site-on-the-internet) (2006-03-08).
Some may question the credibility of it, including my International Relations professor, due to the nature of its open editing. Yet, are not all textbooks biased in some fashion or another? Ultimately, we have the power of the masses to keep the articles on Wikipedia honest. In fact, it’s been proven that it has some of the most accurate articles of any encyclopedia. I absolutely love the fact that on disputed topics I can see the arguments between each side unfold [on] the site. That would appear to be the most democratic solution instead of having to make a final decision in order to get the book to the presses.
In a regular encyclopedia, the editors invite subject-matter experts to write the articles. On Wikipedia, subject-matter experts are at a disadvantage because of rules against including any original research or citing one's own work. That's considered self-promotion or a conflict of interest. On Wikipedia, a brief newspaper story written by a journalist with only a superficial level of knowledge (and perhaps a bias towards controversy) carries more weight than a scientist doing active research in the field. As a result, scientists, researchers, and subject-matter experts can become disillusioned with Wikipedia because of the built-in barriers that work against them.
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