Wikipedia is the burgeoning online resource for when you want to find something quick. Want to know what the cast of " USA High" is up to these days or can't remember who shot J.R.? Wikipedia has articles on just about anything you could think of. While it is convenient, many worry that it is not accurate, with anyone having the ability to edit entries. Recently the young site has had its share of controversy.
Jimmy Wales, founder of the online encyclopedia, believes it should only be used as a supplement to more thorough research. While the site requires people who choose to edit or create posts to be neutral, Wales has admitted to altering his own biographical sketch on Wikipedia.
AU's college writing department recently decided to forbid students from using Wikipedia in their research for assignments because of the chance for error. For example, Journalist John Siegenthaler, who worked with Robert F. Kennedy, filed a complaint after his entry was edited blaming him for President Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
While Wikipedia is convenient, students should not forsake the traditional means of research, i.e. cracking open a book. Like anything on the internet, the site should be scrutinized and relied on sparingly. With information being stored more and more online, schools will have to consider their current poliicies and decide on a way tomove forward as our technology also does.
