Author Topic: This is why you should be careful with Wikipedia as ur primary "reliable" source  (Read 4571 times)

Offline Claude

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Offline Colin Michael

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I used to edit wikipedia a few seconds before a professor would log onto it. It was fun.
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Offline jtay

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That is why ChaCha (the text-messaging question-answering service I work for on occasion) doesn't allow us to use Wikipedia as a source (as well as a few other black-listed sites).  It's definitely a good place to start, though.  After you find what you're looking for on Wikipedia, you can Google it and find a more reputable source with similar material.
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Offline jtay

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I used to edit wikipedia a few seconds before a professor would log onto it. It was fun.

lol, what class was this for?  If I had any professors who used Wikipedia in class, I might try that out.
Epic pouting maneuver!

Offline Colin Michael

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That is why ChaCha (the text-messaging question-answering service I work for on occasion) doesn't allow us to use Wikipedia as a source (as well as a few other black-listed sites).  It's definitely a good place to start, though.  After you find what you're looking for on Wikipedia, you can Google it and find a more reputable source with similar material.
You work for Chacha?

I've been looking for a job; I should do that. How'd you get started?
I used to edit wikipedia a few seconds before a professor would log onto it. It was fun.

lol, what class was this for?  If I had any professors who used Wikipedia in class, I might try that out.
It was some lame introductory "how to find sources" class connected to an English course.
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Offline jtay

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That is why ChaCha (the text-messaging question-answering service I work for on occasion) doesn't allow us to use Wikipedia as a source (as well as a few other black-listed sites).  It's definitely a good place to start, though.  After you find what you're looking for on Wikipedia, you can Google it and find a more reputable source with similar material.
You work for Chacha?

I've been looking for a job; I should do that. How'd you get started?

You have a PM.
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Offline Cameron the Conqueror

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lol, I just PMed you too. :)

Offline JDS

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Cha Cha isn't really a job, you get around $0.10 a question and there can be fees for withdraws. It can be kind of a fun hobby though.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2009, 02:53:10 PM by JDS »

Offline Cameron the Conqueror

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yeah, that's what I'm interested in.  :)


The Schaef

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Many educational institutions [worth their salt] do not allow wikipedia as a major citation on a term paper.

Offline Colin Michael

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Cha Cha isn't really a job, you only get around $0.10 a question and even that has stipulations for withdrawing. It can be kind of a fun hobby though.
Well, I mean, I just need a couple bucks a week for books, smokes, guitar strings, and meals. A "real" job would cut into the time already occupied by reading, studying, and songwriting.
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Offline DaClock

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Many educational institutions [worth their salt] do not allow wikipedia as a major citation on a term paper.

Right. However, a good wikipedia page can have a plethora of good sources in the citations at the bottom.

The Schaef

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So you go look those up and cite them instead  ;)

Lamborghini_diablo

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So you go look those up and cite them instead  ;)

Eeeeexactly. Thats what I've done on almost every paper I needed sources for.

Offline sk

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I had an English professor a couple years ago that didn't understand what Wikipedia was and allowed the class to cite it.  Easiest research paper I've ever done.

But I agree, as the citing on Wikipedia has sent me to very good sources I wouldn't have found in my local libraries.
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