Wikipedia:Wikipedia is wrong
 | This is an essay on the consequences of verifiability and no original research. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article or a Wikipedia policy, as it has not been reviewed by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: As a tertiary source, Wikipedia reflects what is written in secondary sources and, to a lesser extent, other tertiary sources. A consequence of this is when these sources are wrong, Wikipedia will be wrong. |
The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth. There are two important consequences to this. The first is that sometimes things that are true cannot be included. The second is that sometimes things that are not true are included. The second of these is often infuriating to those who know the truth. It means that Wikipedia is wrong.
While at first glance that may appear like a very big problem for Wikipedia, in reality it is not. In fact, it can be seen as a good thing. Wikipedia is a project to build a free encyclopedia. Encyclopedias are tertiary sources and Wikipedia is no different in that respect. Tertiary sources collect knowledge that has already been published in what are called secondary sources. Tertiary sources do not generate new knowledge but rather just reflect what is already known and has already been published on a topic. If what has been published is incorrect, then these errors will be replicated in an encyclopedia. It is not until secondary sources are published which correct these errors, that these corrections will be reflected in encyclopedias.
In a general sense, a stream cannot rise higher than its source. So too with Wikipedia.
In simple English, Wikipedia editors can basically use anything that has a source and is considered credible. And anyone, of any age, can edit Wikipedia. Even though Wikipedia is a tertiary source, it is unlike a traditional encyclopedia in that it is not compiled by a professional pool of researchers. In contrast, Wikipedia's editing is open to anyone, and if a subject is popular, it is biased to the majority (contemporary) opinion of Wikipedia editors. Editors who revise the Wikipedia articles can also place information that is false or subjectively inappropriate.
See also
- Wikipedia:Don't cite Wikipedia on Wikipedia
- Verifiability, not truth in action, a real example of Wikipedia having factually incorrect information, but verifiable information
- Caveat lector
Content Disclaimer
Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.
- The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
- There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
- It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
- Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
- Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.