Encylopedia and Wikipedia are both useful sources of information. Where encylopedia is the literary work which is authoritative and definative, wikipedia is the source of information contributed to by readers all over the world. However, both these sources have few pros and cons. A pro of using an encylopedia is that it is accurate and reliable because it is created by experts and scholars. A con is that it consumes time and sometimes the information could be out dated. On the other hand, wikipedia is the center of the online encylopedia which makes it quick and easy to access. The informations are more clear and easy to understand. The cons of wikipedia is that there information is accurate on average as anyone can edit it. People with no knowledge or little about the specific topic can write their views which makes the information less reliable. But I think wikipedia is the easier way to find the informations if you know how to use it properly. Most of the time long articles with links are the accurate ones.
I would like to use both encylopedia and wikipedia for my research. By doing so, I can compare the various aspects of both the sources like depth of information, accuracy, related informations, etc.
Hi Sonia,
ReplyDeleteWouldn't Wikipedia also be a definitive resource, since you can find entries on just about any topic there?
Also, do we always know that encyclopedias are written by experts and scholars?
"Long articles with links" may not necessarily be the best Wikipedia articles. What else would make a Wikipedia article valuable (as well as an encyclopedia article, for that matter)?
BTW--take a look at the homework assignment again for this blog post. You have to locate an encyclopedia entry and Wikipedia entry on your topic, and evaluate both entries using the criteria we discussed in class last week.
I look forward to reading your update!
Sincerely,
Professor Wexelbuam
Yes, Wikipedia can also be a definitive resource. No, we do not always know that encyclopedias are written by experts and scholars, especially the old ones.The factors that would make Wikipedia article valuable are structure, evidence and support for the arguments, data and credentials,should be bias, writing pattern, etc.
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