Quote:
Originally Posted by thibaulthalpern
This is one reason why the citing of Wikipedia for academic writing is not supported, except perhaps of an example of something but not as a source of credible information because one cannot trace who wrote what easily and one doesn't know the expertise of who wrote what.
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I don't know why you believe this is the case. The citations in Wikipedia are often weblinks are that easier, not harder, to trace than those in a printed text. But you know as well as I that you don't usually trace the source anyway. If one of your students cited an estimated diameter of Pluto, and provided a reference that seemed credible, I very much doubt you would routinely check that reference, find the citation, find out the scientist who made that claim, and then find out his credentials.
And yet Wikipedia's estimated diameter of Pluto is likely more accurate than any printed text over a decade old.