User:ChemistryProf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a university professor, researcher, and author/editor, I often need to consult dictionaries and encyclopedias. These days, I sometimes rely on Wikipedia to learn about unfamiliar technical areas. I find it to be an acceptable source for most topics, but recently when I read the Transcendental Meditation entry for the first time, I was disappointed. As a long-term practitioner of this meditation technique who has read most of the research on the topic, I find the Wikipedia article to be below the norm in objectivity and balance. Signs of strong opinions of both the positive and the negative variety are plentiful, with an inadequate amount of the prevalent “middle ground” understanding. The compelling body of peer reviewed research attesting to positive effects of the practice is beginning to be represented in the text, but is somewhat disjointed. My scientific editing experience, coupled with direct personal and academic experience with this technique, may be useful in helping this article to become a “Featured Article,” as defined in the Wikipedia guidelines. I look forward to working with the current editors toward this goal. This is the first article to which I have contributed, but if the process seems fruitful, I will contribute to others as well. As a process, it is quite different from scientific writing.