Wikis

What is a wiki?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary a wiki is "a website that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections" (Wiki). While the idea behind wikis is admirable, students who have yet to master information evaluation do not yet have the skills to discern easily if the wiki has misinformation. Due to the nature of how wikis operate and the variables they add to an already complex research process, many teachers ask students to avoid using them for class assignments.

Wikipedia is the most widely recognized wiki, but wikis are becoming more common across the internet. Users should make sure that any website they are using for an academic purpose does not allow users to add, change, or remove website content without editor oversight.

Why are wikis not great resources for research?

View the video to the left.

While wikis have the potential to lead users to valuable information, they do not meet the general requirements for quality academic research and should be used only with teacher permission.

Reflection:

Has this changed your opinion of wikis? Will you continue to use or not use wikis for school projects in the future?

Please continue to the CRAAP Test section of this lesson.

Works Cited

Why isn't Wikipedia a reputable source? Write Check/Turnitin, 2013. Vimeo, Vimeo, Inc., vimeo.com/61841112.

"Wiki." Merriam-Webster, 2019, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wiki. Accessed 14 Feb. 2019.