by jerbil » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:15 am
Chris Peterson wrote:Indigo_Sunrise wrote:My only beef would be that sometimes too many of the links go to 'Wikipedia', which as we all know can be subject to questionable editing.....
On the whole, however, Wikipedia is an extremely good source for scientific information. I'd trust its science articles over what you would find in an edited encyclopedia, like Britannica (an assertion that is supported by studies). Most of the problems with Wikipedia are in subjects not related to science.
I fully agree, Chris. Regarding Scientific subjects, I find that Wikipedia is much more useful than Enc. Brit., for example. Some people do not realize that they may edit, off their own iniative, anything which they know to be incorrect. I do not know how the managers of the system operate their reviewing procedure, but on the three times I have performed an "edit" there has been an automatic acceptance of my emendation.
The "questionable editing," to which you refer, is confined to loose topics, for example current religious beliefs in California, all sorts of political smut, personal animosities and so on. They can hardly refer to topics such as the Goldbach Conjecture.
[quote="Chris Peterson"][quote="Indigo_Sunrise"]My only beef would be that sometimes too many of the links go to 'Wikipedia', which as we all know can be subject to questionable editing.....[/quote]
On the whole, however, Wikipedia is an extremely good source for scientific information. I'd trust its science articles over what you would find in an edited encyclopedia, like Britannica (an assertion that is supported by studies). Most of the problems with Wikipedia are in subjects not related to science.[/quote]
I fully agree, Chris. Regarding Scientific subjects, I find that Wikipedia is much more useful than Enc. Brit., for example. Some people do not realize that they may edit, off their own iniative, anything which they know to be incorrect. I do not know how the managers of the system operate their reviewing procedure, but on the three times I have performed an "edit" there has been an automatic acceptance of my emendation.
The "questionable editing," to which you refer, is confined to loose topics, for example current religious beliefs in California, all sorts of political smut, personal animosities and so on. They can hardly refer to topics such as the Goldbach Conjecture.