User:Littleteddy/Essay
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
Walk into any high school classroom and ask the teacher on their opinion on using Wikipedia as a way to get information. You'll probably get a response like:
- Don't use Wikipedia because anyone can edit it.
or
- You shouldn't trust Wikipedia.
Why does this happen?[edit]
This sort of thing happens because these critics have probably never seriously edited Wikipedia. Any serious editor knows that false information can find its way onto Wikipedia... but since anyone can edit Wikipedia it's easy to revert. Try telling the Encyclopedia Britannica that they are wrong!
Some research[edit]
You've seen the research... Wikipedia is just a little less reliable than the Britannica. Well, I did my own little test and look what I found!
| Article name | Differences? | Correct encyclopedia |
|---|---|---|
| Archimedes | Date of birth - Britannica more general | Wikipedia |
| Augustus | Duration of rule - Britannica longer | Wikipedia |
| Pensées | Date of publishing 1669/1670 | Britannica |
So, 2 out of 3 times Wikipedia was more accurate than Britannica. And in the third instance it is possible to revert the error... which I will in a moment.