All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school who is considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I knew of any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy appears, by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were they missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us "the world's blog").
I pointed her towards * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Schools_FAQ * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia, and * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use. But I'm wondering if any of you:
* know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you can send me a link) * know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from our lists & sites or other places) * have comments about such policies and what should go into them. * if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for the last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in California. We are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia in academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various universities, are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the reference
desk at university libraries.
phoebe ayers wrote:
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in classes.
As a librarian, the town I work for has no set policy regarding Wikipedia, but I have had a few questions about it from parents and students, and my typical directive (and one that is shared with a small group of librarian friends) is that Wikipedia, like any other source, is not good enough for the only basis of research for a project that requires such research. As a starting point/overview, it's a great tool, and often has great sources to extend research further, but should not be used as the only source for anything.
I say the same for Britannica, World Book, whatever else as well.
-Jeff
I think you covered the main points. I don't think it should be called a policy. All it really is, is an explanation. But that's just me.
Mgm
On 1/16/07, phoebe ayers phoebe.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school who is considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I knew of any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy appears, by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were they missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us "the world's blog").
I pointed her towards
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Schools_FAQ
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia, and
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use. But I'm wondering if any of you:
- know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you can
send me a link)
- know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from our
lists & sites or other places)
- have comments about such policies and what should go into them.
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in California. We
are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia in academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various universities, are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the reference
desk at university libraries. _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
An article I found really interesting was Wikipedia: Unreliable Source, Useful Heuristic ToolWikipedia:%20Unreliable%20Source,%20Useful%20Heuristic%20Tool from the Society of Biblical Literature, a very well respected society of Biblical scholarship. It talks about Wikipedia as a possible eventual good way to get really excellent information (a form of Eventualismhttp://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eventualismif you will) and that right now it's a good tool to use to find other sources, and to get some basic vocabulary.
I think this should be very encouraging to all those who have been slogging away finding tons of sources for their articles. Not only does it make people trust Wikipedia more, it also makes it a much more useful tool for people who are doing deeper research.
Makemi
On 1/16/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm macgyvermagic@gmail.com wrote:
I think you covered the main points. I don't think it should be called a policy. All it really is, is an explanation. But that's just me.
Mgm
On 1/16/07, phoebe ayers phoebe.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school who is considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I knew
of
any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy
appears,
by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were
they
missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us "the world's blog").
I pointed her towards
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Schools_FAQ
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia, and
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use. But I'm wondering if any of you:
- know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you can
send me a link)
- know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from our
lists & sites or other places)
- have comments about such policies and what should go into them.
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for
the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in California. We
are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia in academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various universities,
are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the
reference
desk at university libraries. _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
Sorry, the link doesn't seem to have made it, it's at http://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=612
On 1/16/07, Mak makwik@gmail.com wrote:
An article I found really interesting was Wikipedia: Unreliable Source, Useful Heuristic Tool from the Society of Biblical Literature, a very well respected society of Biblical scholarship. It talks about Wikipedia as a possible eventual good way to get really excellent information (a form of Eventualism http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eventualism if you will) and that right now it's a good tool to use to find other sources, and to get some basic vocabulary.
I think this should be very encouraging to all those who have been slogging away finding tons of sources for their articles. Not only does it make people trust Wikipedia more, it also makes it a much more useful tool for people who are doing deeper research.
Makemi
On 1/16/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm macgyvermagic@gmail.com wrote:
I think you covered the main points. I don't think it should be called a policy. All it really is, is an explanation. But that's just me.
Mgm
On 1/16/07, phoebe ayers < phoebe.wiki@gmail.com> wrote:
All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school who
is
considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I
knew of
any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy
appears,
by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were
they
missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us
"the
world's blog").
I pointed her towards
and
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use.
But
I'm wondering if any of you:
- know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you can
send me a link)
- know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from our
lists & sites or other places)
- have comments about such policies and what should go into them.
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for
the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in
classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in California.
We
are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia in academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to
reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various universities,
are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the
reference
desk at university libraries. _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
Seconded to what Jeff is saying here. I do believe if you click on "cite this article" over on the left, you'll get a disclaimer that Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a primary source for research as we are a tertiary source (i.e. we get information from other sources) thus making things too easy for them. :) With that in mind, teachers usually disallow encyclopedias as sources for research, but of course Wikipedia is not specifically mentioned...........
On 1/16/07, Mak makwik@gmail.com wrote:
Sorry, the link doesn't seem to have made it, it's at http://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=612
On 1/16/07, Mak makwik@gmail.com wrote:
An article I found really interesting was Wikipedia: Unreliable Source, Useful Heuristic Tool from the Society of Biblical Literature, a very
well
respected society of Biblical scholarship. It talks about Wikipedia as a possible eventual good way to get really excellent information (a form
of
Eventualism http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eventualism if you will)
and
that right now it's a good tool to use to find other sources, and to get some basic vocabulary.
I think this should be very encouraging to all those who have been slogging away finding tons of sources for their articles. Not only does
it
make people trust Wikipedia more, it also makes it a much more useful
tool
for people who are doing deeper research.
Makemi
On 1/16/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm macgyvermagic@gmail.com wrote:
I think you covered the main points. I don't think it should be called a policy. All it really is, is an explanation. But that's just me.
Mgm
On 1/16/07, phoebe ayers < phoebe.wiki@gmail.com> wrote:
All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school
who
is
considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I
knew of
any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy
appears,
by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were
they
missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us
"the
world's blog").
I pointed her towards
and
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use.
But
I'm wondering if any of you:
- know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you
can
send me a link)
- know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from
our
lists & sites or other places)
- have comments about such policies and what should go into them.
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers
for
the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in
classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in
California.
We
are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia
in
academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to
reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various
universities,
are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the
reference
desk at university libraries. _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
From the viewpoint of someone who has been teaching librarians--
We teach librarians how to evaluate sources, and how to teach the students they will help how to evaluate.
For many years we've been teaching how to evaluate web sources, and both students and librarians have gotten fairly good at it. It's even easier to teach how to evaluate & use WP: paid advertising is not prominent among the results, and a good deal of material present on the web is filtered out: if you enter a city name you will not get airline schedules, weather forecasts, and hotel advertisements. Even the biases are more likely to be out in the open, and you can check them by looking at related articles. At a more advanced level, the edit histories make very good teaching examples.
What students (including library school students) are weak at is evaluating print sources.
The material you linked to is about as good a statement as I have seen. I would have emphasized even more the use of WP as a starting point, and the use of external links. WP is not primarily a web directory, but it is a useful web directory nevertheless.
On 1/16/07, phoebe ayers phoebe.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
All,
I received a message (below) from a librarian at a US high school who is considering writing a policy for their students regarding the use of Wikipedia in research papers. She asked for my input and whether I knew of any similar policies in schools -- either middle and high schools or colleges and universities. This: http://www3.iath.virginia.edu/lists_archive/Humanist/v20/0080.html is the kind of thing she's interested in (this particular policy appears, by the way, to be completely sensible -- the main flaws I found were they missed the permanent link and citation features, and they called us "the world's blog").
I pointed her towards
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Schools_FAQ
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia, and
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use
which seem to be en:'s documentation on the subject of academic use. But I'm wondering if any of you:
- know of such policies at specific institutions (and if so if you can send
me a link)
- know of commentary on, or a list of, such policies (either from our lists
& sites or other places)
- have comments about such policies and what should go into them.
- if any of you are librarians or professors, if you have answers for the
last question about how WP is handled at reference desks and in classes.
Thanks! phoebe (brassratgirl)
here's the message (with specific campus names taken out):
I am the head librarian at a college prep high school in California. We are
considering writing a school policy regarding the use of Wikipedia in academic research. I am gathering as much information as I can from universities because I would like our policy and instruction to reflect
what
our students will be met with once they leave us.
Does the University of California have a policy about the use of
Wikipedia or do professors to
set guidelines for its use?
In your opinion, based on your experience at various universities, are
students allowed to cite it in academic research papers?
Do professors address it at all and how is it handled at the reference
desk at university libraries. _______________________________________________ Wikipedia-l mailing list Wikipedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikipedia-l