On Fri, 2007-06-29 at 00:47 -0700, Cheney Shill wrote:
Interesting. A remarkable insight. So not only is Wikipedia not NPOV or trustable, but it's OK because encylopedias, including textbooks, in general are not considered reliable sources by higher education. Could I get the references that showed that consensus among professors also refused other encyclopedias and not just Wikipedia? Do they have any findings with regard to other reference sources, such as textbooks and dictionaries?
Hmm, I think you may be misinterpreting my point somewhat. I'm certainly not trying to justify any shortcomings Wikipedia has by saying "it's an encyclopedia, so it's okay." However, the issue of Wikipedia's fitness as a source is ultimately independent of point-of-view issues and the like; if Wikipedia were somehow certified as completely neutral and reliable by some hypothetical authority, it would still, as a tertiary source, be no more appropriate as a cited reference for the kind of work I'm referring to.
As far as data on professors' views of Wikipedia, I don't have anything at my fingertips, but I'm speaking more about a general principle than the current views of a majority of professionals in higher education. From personal experience, I /can/ state that in university courses, as well as some higher-tier high school courses (such as Advanced Placement in the U.S.), I've been explicitly told that encyclopedias and textbooks were not acceptable sources for research assignments.