Harvard University: “Professors See Shift in Academic Attitudes on Wikipedia”

From the Harvard Crimson:

Some professors in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences said they see Wikipedia as more acceptable, even as a website that students can peruse for somewhat reliable information. Although they still warned students to be wary when using Wikipedia, some professors no longer look at the site with the same criticism.
“Basically like most faculty, I’ve had a grouchy opinion about Wikipedia,” said Sean J. Gilsdorf, a lecturer on History and Literature. “My attitude has turned into one [of], rather than complaining about it, why don’t we try to do good things with it.”
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“I do know that there is a debate going on about how authoritative it is, whether it’s credible, but I think it’s probably credible for Facebook arguments, but not so much for a scholarly piece of writing,” said FAS Registrar Michael P. Burke, who serves as a freshman adviser. “Would I feel proud about using that as a source? No, I wouldn’t.”

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Filed under: Academic Libraries