The dictionary says: A person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.
Perhaps the question you meant to ask is, how do I tell whether or not a person is an expert?
Here's my personal answer.
1) I regard someone as an expert if they can show me that they can accurately convey detailed information on a topic directly from memory, and when needed can remember or quickly rediscover the source from which they that got that information. Think of a lawyer who cites a legal decision, or a minister who can literally "cite chapter and verse."
2) Someone who has done so much valuable work on a topic that he is cited as a source by many others, either formally (in a print citation) or informally (someone telling you "go see so-and-so about that.")
Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:
- I regard someone as an expert if they can show me that they can
accurately convey detailed information on a topic directly from memory, and when needed can remember or quickly rediscover the source from which they that got that information. Think of a lawyer who cites a legal decision, or a minister who can literally "cite chapter and verse."
- Someone who has done so much valuable work on a topic that he is
cited as a source by many others, either formally (in a print citation) or informally (someone telling you "go see so-and-so about that.")
This is a really great answer.
Completely pointless post, but there you go.
-Jeff
On 1/20/07, Jeff Raymond jeff.raymond@internationalhouseofbacon.com wrote:
Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:
- I regard someone as an expert if they can show me that they can
accurately convey detailed information on a topic directly from memory, and when needed can remember or quickly rediscover the source from which they that got that information. Think of a lawyer who cites a legal decision, or a minister who can literally "cite chapter and verse."
- Someone who has done so much valuable work on a topic that he is
cited as a source by many others, either formally (in a print citation) or informally (someone telling you "go see so-and-so about that.")
This is a really great answer.
Completely pointless post, but there you go.
-Jeff
--
I thought it was a highly relevant post. If we're going to continue to examine Citizendium for "best practices" or whatever the rationale is, then it's a good idea to consider what an "expert" is. It's important, if anything, in defining yet again what Wikipedia is not.