Wikipedia: User Beware

There's a rising realization that disparate networks throughout the web are capable of devising and generating knowledge for a variety of matters. One of the more cited illustrations of the power of these networks is the relative success of Wikipedia. In truth, while I have also made use of select references from Wikipedia and especially regarding definitions for technical terms, I have had reservations of the veracity and accuracy of some fact based information on the site.

It looks that the Achilles Heel of Wikipedia was best illustrated by most recently by a student who inserted a sleeper fact that was later quoted without verification by journalists. Writing in the Irish Times here, Shane Fitzgerald explains the motivation for that experiment. As he explains it, it shows that this concern about both the possibility of manipulation and misinformation are more likely than is recognized.

What most surprises me is that some very well regarded authors of books have used Wikipedia as references for assertions in their books. I am sure that editors should consider that again in spite of the fact that even peer reviewed papers are found to contain errors. To my mind, all this states is that when a source begins to be used without critique, then its limitations are bound to be overlooked.