An Introduction to Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica
As a college student and an internet junkie, the World Wide Web is my ultimate source of information when it comes to research, homework and assignment. Hence, this introduces us to Wikipedia, the 37th most visited website in the internet as reported by the Alexa research service. Reep (2003, p.5) stated that useful contents and effective information distribution attracts audiences to the website. Wikipedia, according to the Associated Press, has 3.7 million articles in 200 languages, all neatly categorised. Therefore, this appeals to me as a suitable site for information gathering. Free for all web-users, 'wiki-ing' information has become a habit.
Wikipedia, is a free online information resource site that relies on volunteers to pen and edit its articles. On the other hand, Encyclopedia Britannica, according to Terdiman (2005) is a well-established, standard-bearer of facts, written by full-time editors and professional contributors who are paid to write.
The official logo of Encyclopedia BritannicaWhy is Wiki doubted of its credibility and accuracy?
Oswald (2005) stated that, Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales himself is a victim of information vandalism due to the fact that any anonymous person can edit articles on Wikipedia. This is because Wikipedia provides open-access to all web-users to contribute information. Wales' biography in Wikipedia turned out to be inaccurate as a result of that obvious flaw. In another case, according to Bergstein (2007), the so-called 'prolific' Wiki contributor, who claimed to be a Professor of Theology has been exposed to be a 24-year-old college dropout, Ryan Jordan.
Jimmy Wales, the founder of WikipediaOn the other hand, Encyclopedia Britannica is said to be more credible, as its contributors are all selected diligently and are of professional expertise in their respective fields. These professionals are paid for the job unlike Wiki contributors.
Credibility and Accuracy; Wiki vs Briti
British journal, Nature, conducted a study on the credibility and accuracy of both Wikipedia's and Encyclopedia Britannica's articles. The study found out that Wikipedia is not as accurate as Britannica with an average of 2.92 errors per article for Britannica and 3.86 for Wiki. Overall, Wikipedia has a total of 162 factual errors while Britannica only has 123 mistakes. The accuracy gap between both encyclopedias is quite big. Thus, this sums up to the fact that Encyclopedia Britannica is a more trustworthy medium than Wikipedia.
Problem Solution
Nielsen and Morkes (1997), stated that information credibility is important on all websites, as audiences do not want to be "fed on false facts". Therefore, all information has to be referenced and attributed correctly. On the other hand, Reep (2006, p. 175), stated that a credible website should include "links to any legal warnings, copyright statements or privacy information". Hence, in order to solve the problem of information inaccuracy and credibility on Wikipedia, today, we see that, links to references and bibliographies are also included in its articles.
Reference List:
1. Bergstein, B 2007, 'Wikipedia to seek proof of credentials', Associate Press, viewed on 8 June 2008 at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17508203/
2. Morkes, J & Nielsen, J 1997, 'Concise, Scannable and Objective: How To Write For The Web', Useit.com, viewed on 8 June 2008 at http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html
3. Oswald, E 2005, 'Wikipedia Credibility Under Fire Again', Beta News, viewed on 10 June 2008 at http://www.betanews.com/article/Wikipedia_Credibility_Under_Fire_Again/1135198368
4. Reep, D 2006, 'Technical Writing', 6th Edition, Pearson Education, New York, p. 5-190
5. Terdiman, D 2005, 'Wikipedia vs Encyclopedia Britannica: An Equal Match?', Silicon.com, viewed on 10 June 2008 at http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39155109,00.htm?r=5
6. Wikipedia, Britannica: A Toss Up 2005, Wired.com, viewed on 10 June 2008 at http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69844
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