The quality of content on Wikipedia.org may seem like an obvious and easy target for Skeptical Monkey. Wikipedia does not have guidelines for its contributors, inviting anyone with a computer and Internet connection to submit their own content to the site (regardless of its accuracy).

“Perfection is not required.”

Sensing weaknesses in Wikipedia’s models, several other online encyclopedia-style wiki’s have formed, attempting to succeed where they feel Wikipedia has failed. Veropedia and Citizendium are two examples that focus on leveraging expert knowledge in their pages. But do a few subject matter experts really produce better quality content than the public?

Myth: A small number of knowledgeable contributors produce better Wikipedia content than a large group of ordinary contributors.

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Students May Be Wising Up To Wikipedia. Are You?

ARS Technica reported on a study claiming that a majority of surveyed students of St. Mary’s College did not immediately resort to Wikipedia for research. This results of the study showed how Wikipedia.org was not a popular first destination for students faced with a new research assignment. So where do St. Mary’s students go first for academic research? The California college published the following statistics as part of their study results (% = percentage of surveyed students):

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