Wikipedia: Where Do You Stand?

Over the past few years, FYI Online has encountered a diverse portfolio of opinions regarding Wikipedia. School administrators, university presidents, classroom teachers, and curriculum developers, whether they are in favor of Wikipedia or not, seem to always approach the subject with an air of skepticism.

However, the online encyclopedia introduced new editing policies recently, and some say the site is becoming a valid source for students.

Eight years after Wikipedia's launch, professors such as [Mikhail] Lyubansky [of the University of Illinois] have come to accept the free online encyclopedia--which can be edited by any registered user with web access--as a legitimate research tool for students, especially after the site announced changes last month to its editing policies.

Some of the new policies are as follows.

Entries written by new Wikipedia users now will be edited by regular contributors, and changes to the biographies of celebrities or controversial figures will be reviewed before they go live on the site, said Erik Moeller, deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation, adding in a blog post that "false information can do the most serious harm to an individual."

Douglas Giles, a professor of philosophy at Elmhurst College, argues in support of Wikipedia.

Educators' opposition to Wikipedia is often rooted in a belief that students should look to peer-reviewed journals and print articles for sources of legitimate research.

"Professors who forbid Wikipedia are, in my opinion, being silly," Giles said. "The prejudice some professors have against Wikipedia … stems more from an ivory-tower elitism than any actual knowledge of the content of Wikipedia. One can easily find points of contention in any research tool."

FYI Online would love to hear what you think of Wikipedia. You can find the full article here.