Wikipedia:Credibility

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Credibility is one of Wikipedia's goals which it has struggled mightily to attain, although in its first four years it has only had partial success.

When quoting any book, even by a supposed highly respected source, it can often be meaningless. A great many legitimate writers refer to things as they see or believe them to be. If called upon, they can properly say it was a minor reference and done based on the best available information at the time and said without malice. No encyclopedia quotes these opinions or references unless they were documented with proofs and then the encyclopedia requires a minimum of one other verifiable supporting source for that documentation. Wikipedia, by its openness to editing by anyone, in fact needs to set a higher standard if it wants credibility.

Numerous problems need to be overcome, including that of Wikipedia:Disinformation by those who edit with an agenda.

The question of Wikipedia credibility has been raised by a number of sources. A September 8, 2004 Washington Post article included the following:

  • Jorge Cauz, president of Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., conceded that at its best, some Wikipedia entries reflect the collective wisdom of many contributors. But he added: "The problem with an effort like that is that at other times, it may reflect just the wisdom -- or lack of wisdom -- of the last contributor."
  • Wales (Jimmy Wales) conceded that Wikipedia's quality may not be up to the level of Britannica, but he added that the 236-year-old encyclopedia had better watch out. Wikipedia is proposing to implement editorial controls soon that Wales thinks will put it on par with Britannica.
  • "That kind of quality is important, and we do believe we can reach that kind of quality within a year," he (Wales) said. Within a few weeks, Wales plans to propose a review process that would essentially allow certain articles to be flagged as "stable" so they could be included in print or CD-ROM versions. The way Wikipedia works now, anything can be edited almost endlessly. Editing could continue, but a new layer would be added that identified certain entry versions as attaining an editorial standard.
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