Wikipedia Not Suitable As A College Reference

Wikipedia has a great many merits – convenience perhaps being the greatest, the potential subversion of unjustified hierachies being another (though I’m less convinced about now). But, the danger is always present that Wiki-dependency might shortcut the educational process, both for college students and lifelong learners.

Rick Mansfield has higlighted an example of a college discouraging students from citing Wikipedia in assignments [Link No Longer Available]. Whilst I don’t agree with Rick about encyclopedias not being suitable for references, since some subject specific ones (a commeter cites the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy also deserves a mention) are representive of the latest thought – I do concur with his assesment of Middlebury’s actions.

Any Encyclopedia should act as the first, not last stop in a research project, especially at college level or above. All my theological college papers in Biblical Studies and Theology started with a review of the ISBE. This helped me first familiarise myself with the scholary debates, but also allowed me to suppliment and interogate the set reading lists. But, the real work (thinking and learning) started when one was faced with primary texts and live, current debates. By the time I had a little experience in marking papers, it was pretty easy to separate those essays trapped at the encyclopedic/dictionary level from those that had grappled more profoundly with the question.

Under all this is an issue that maybe isn’t stated often enough or clearly enough. Education, real education, transformative and horizon expanding education, is hard work.

If your goal is to be well versed in theology and culture (or Biblical studies, or church history, or whatever), it will take time and it will take effort. There is always the option of being an imposter or a charlatan – pretending to be well read and so on; lots of people take that road I guess. But, to do it for real is not easy, not convenient and not without sacrifice.

That’s why I think it not only right, but important for tertiary institutions to clamp down on Wikipedia and help students learn to use it responsibility. This isn’t a question of intellectual elitism, it’s a question of intellectual honesty.