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How can I convince my students not to use Wikipedia? I require two or three textbooks plus a lot of my students buy the four or five optional books I put on the syllabus. The latest issues of all the relevant journals are at the library. They still insist on going to Wikipedia. I think they're tuning me out when I mention Wikipedia. Just another anti-Facebook, anti-Wikipedia grumpy old man.
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francesy wrote:How can I convince my students not to use Wikipedia? I require two or three textbooks plus a lot of my students buy the four or five optional books I put on the syllabus. The latest issues of all the relevant journals are at the library. They still insist on going to Wikipedia. I think they're tuning me out when I mention Wikipedia. Just another anti-Facebook, anti-Wikipedia grumpy old man.

Dock marks for non peer reviewed sources?

Explain to your students that just referring to wikipedia is forbidden, because anyone can edit it and write whatever they like. On the other hand wikipedia contains links to many scientific papers/books, so it is a great starting point for someone new to the topic. Wikipedia is forbidden to have any original research and (provided the article is well-written) all its content must be based on some source. Encourage students to investigate that source and whether or not it is credible. Don't tell them, that wikipedia is just bad and must not be used - instead explain that you will not accept just the word "wikipedia" in the references section of their report, so your students will need to dig deeper until they find the original paper or book. Also let them notice, that the list of references under a wikipedia article does not have to be complete.

waldo wrote:One of the errors made by the academic community in dismissing Wikipedia as an unreliable source

They are correct in that assumption
--there is little if any vetting of the data, it is simply being collected in WikiPedia

As to scholars only wanting to hear their own opinions reflected back to them: maybe, but the students can decide how true or untrue that is, for themselves.

However I agree that it is is a good general resource for information gathering (much as the internet is); I wouldn't depend on it for research purposes, as that requires more vigor and discernment.