Yes - it can give an initial first take on a subject one wants to explore but then one must go deeper. i never cite from Wilkedegia as often the reference are not accurate - so if one of the references cited on Wilkepedia interests me I trace the original article and read it so I can cite it properly.
Good luck with your research - warm regards - Tina
As a first point of contact, yes but do not rely solely on it. Look at other references which are more in-depth and authentic
Dear Snizhana.
"Do you feel that “Wikipedia” is a useful source of information for your scientific endeavors?"
Yes, Wikipedia is a useful source of information for my scientific endeavors. But some caveats are in order at this point.
1. On some occasions, wikipedia give some information related to several topics. However, I never quote Wikipedia in my scientific papers. I like first hand citations, not second hand citations.
2 It is often the case that Wikipedia's information is not accurate nor rigorous.
3. I like in my research of raising, say, irritating questions, or questions whose answer advances knowledge and leads us to a better knowledge of the unknown. I never raised an irritating question with base on Wikipedia. I prefer to appeal to my imagination and intrinsic intellectual curiosity.
4. In a nutshell, Wikipedia may be an initial place for me to get some information. However, I always go beyond information to get more accurate sources of information and knowledge.
Best regards,
Orlando
Dear Snizhana
Regarding your question, I do not think “Wikipedia” is a useful information source for scientific endeavours. It is a helpful source for accessing knowledge in specific fields and a good source of references for "popular science." However, it is not rigorous enough to be applied in science endeavours and academic research. The information on Wikipedia is not reviewed by authorised experts in each scientific research area. Hence, I do not recognise it as a useful source for scientific endeavours.
Regards
Dear Snizhana Klokta,
"Wikipedia" is a source of data usually for primary school students in elementary knowledge. However, for scientists it is not a good source of information due to the specific, social nature of building knowledge resources in this online encyclopedia.
Best wishes
For quick understanding but need to verify from another source before using research
An interesting point of view about the subject is available in refference: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260173960_The_Role_of_Wikipedia_in_Research_and_Education
1
I don't think that "Wikipedia" is a useful source of information for my scientific endeavors. Useful sources of information for research are only articles published in scientific journals or scientific books written by specialists. On the other hand, information given by "Wikipedia" is useful for laypersons' study.
Wikipedia was one of the first free and with voluntary funding source of useful information in science, culture and society, except for biographies of people around me, Wikipedia was relayable and good source of info in math, physics and school homework of my child, when it was in high-school.
I agree that Wikipedia don't describes the publications in the scientific journals and was mostly topic oriented, topics mostly recognized long ago and still important in math and physics.
They all stated that, within their limited experience, the information in Wikipedia is fairly reliable. However they do not approach to Wikipedia with absolute confidence. In their comparison of Wikipedia with academic resources and traditional encyclopedias they all indicated that Wikipedia is less reliable
Wikipedia is a start point for learning a topic or find relevant topics. However, it is not a reliable source of data in many cases.
It may be used as a quick reference but for scientific work one needs to delve into the actual papers containing the information. References in Wikipedia are useful and helps you to double check facts. Wiki is definitely very useful at the high school level for students and teachers.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Psychology
- Emotion