On 03/04/07, phoebe ayers phoebe.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
I don't really know how the OED people compile their quotes, but I trust them to do a good job at it and as professional etymologists have an understanding of the issues involved that far exceeds mine, and because it's directly printed in the OED, there's a record that can be accessed long after we all stop working on Wikipedia.
The OED is surprisingly modern in the way it compiles its quotes - most are sent in by volunteers, and have been since day one. They submit the citation and context; editors do through the submissions, decide if it's an interesting use or from an interesting date, and check them against (where possible) an available copy of the same text - if appropriate, any earlier editions than the one cited, as well.
So contributed by the masses and curated by the experts. It's worked well.