Won't get fooled again

At the Indiana Daily Student, we've all cruised Wikipedia. Sometimes we're researching for an article and sometimes we're just trying to settle stupid bets or trivia questions. As a result, we all probably know more than we ever wanted to about South African bush fires or the genesis of Genesis -- the Bible book and the Phil Collins band.\nIf you haven't checked out Wikipedia, located at www.wikipedia.org, you're missing out. The idea behind it is actually quite interesting -- a free online encyclopedia that anyone can add to or edit. Most people have caught onto the fad. An article in The Village Voice recently reported that Wikipedia is the 19th most-visited site on the Internet -- more than The New York Times and USA Today Web sites combined. We're in favor of anything that promotes learning, especially on subjects not often touched upon in the classroom (capital punishment by elephant, anyone?), but we can't help but wonder if the popularity of Wikipedia is something to worry about, particularly in academia.\nRachel Aviv, a freelance writer for The New York Times, wondered in an article if the site's popularity "represents a paradigm shift or (is) just an anomaly." We have the same concern. While it's great to be able to quickly find a large amount of information on any given subject, we're begging students and professors to remember that Wikipedia should be a launching pad for research -- not a place to crash and burn. \nIt's great to start out collecting information for your history paper on Wikipedia if the site refers you to any number of books, newspaper or journal articles. It's a little too tempting at times, though. Would we cite Wikipedia in an academic paper as your most credible source? Only a Purdue student would be so silly. \nHere's an example of why you should tread the waters of Wikipedia cautiously. The Web site's entry for IU is quite informative. It provides a collection of famous alumni and notable former and current faculty, all while providing statistics about the University. But a couple months ago a prankster decided to have a little fun with the IU Wikipedia entry, and one of "new" famous alumni was Queen Elizabeth II. Fortunately, Wikipedia does a good job of policing its content, marking suspicious pages and making sure the facts are facts; but you never know when something fictional could slip by.\nThat said, we'd also like to take the opportunity to encourage professors to make it clear in their syllabi and assignment sheets that Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. For lazier students, we recommend that you use Wikipedia as a starting place -- but then head over to the Herman B Wells Library. You know, that building full of books above Chik-Fil-A. \nSo check out the site -- it's a fantastic place to stumble across information. (Young Princess Elizabeth was educated at home by her mother, the Duchess of York.) Heck, start out researching your papers there. But remember that it's only worth it if it refers you to something more substantive.