2008 Woodie Awards
Professors weigh in on Wiki-debate
James Beltran
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News
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The debate on Wikipedia's suitability in academia came after the History department at Middlebury College unanimously decided earlier this year to forbid its use as a citation in any paper. This resolution came about after a professor of Japanese History at Middlebury noticed inaccurate information on student essays.
There was agreement with faculty and students here at the College that Wikipedia was not completely appropriate for academic work. Some professors said that they never allow Wikipedia as a source in their courses. Andreas Waldkirch, Assistant Professor of Economics, said that he does not permit Wikipedia as a citation. "There have been too many instances of misstating facts or plain untruths. Besides, for the things we do, there are plenty of other, reliable sources," he remarked. Larissa Taylor, Professor of History, said that she explicitly states on her course syllabi that Wikipedia can never be used as a source. "It's fine for a quick look-up of 'facts', but never as a source for an essay or research paper in history," she said.
Robert Gastaldo, Whipple-Coddington Professor of Geology, acknowledged the difficulty of reading primary literature, saying "that it is a time consuming effort in one's self education." However, Gastaldo said that his students "must use original references, academic books, and professional resources for their education" and that "there is no academic oversight to Wikipedia with the potential for everchanging edits, updates, and revisions that may or may not be valid." Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies, said that she is considering a prohibition of Wikipedia as a source: "While I have not banned Wikipedia outright, I am considering doing so for certain kinds of papers where it is essential that students learn to conduct bona fide scholarship." She said that there is too much misinformation in Wikipedia entries. "When people are in college, they are expected to go beyond encyclopedias for research purposes, anyway. If one is going to use an encyclopedia entry then it is important that the writers and editors be engaged in honest and trustworthy scholarship and be able to evaluate critically the source materials used in their entries," she added.
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