Is wikipedia reliable?

Personally, I think it is very informative, and very well-written. But some people claim that it is not reliable, because everyone can edit the source.

In addition, I am learning how to write better essay in English, do you think the English writings in wikipedia are of good quality for me to learn? Thank you very much.

i read on how stuff works that wikipedia has a filter which decides what is eligible and ineligible to go on the site so as there will be no bias

I think it's pretty much reliable. There is of course misinformation in some of the pages, but the number if negiligibly low. People who don't trust Wikipedia forget that there are many good people and very few bad guys who kill their own time to edit the Wikipedia contents.

I find the English writings in Wikipedia to be simple yet effective; so you should browse through the pages before writing English essays.

most are ok - but I will write out a simple plan for a better essay below:
1st paragraph - only state the question and a little bit of information.
2nd paragraph - state the topics you will be carrying in the essay and a few points about each - this is what most people rely on to mark the essay - as you can generally see where it is going from this.
3rd-4th-5th paragraph - say info and use PEE: Point, Evidence, Explination. For example, say what you are going to explain, use a quote, and then give a a thourough explination of the topic and relate it to the quote.
Conclusion - NEVER introduce new points... just basically re-write the intro, with a bit of a bang of an ending!

HOPE THIS HELPS!

yes, it's reliable.

On average the info there is fairly good however as you know it can be edited by anybody so I would definitely won't say its entirely reliable.

Best if you double check the info there at some other source and see if it matches or not.

I GO ON IT ALL THE TIME AND I THINK IT IS VERRY RELIABLE

Its mostly factual and accurate info but a very small percentage is absolute rubbish but even then people mark the topics for cleanup so any wrong info is removed

not really. well, they are informative but you should also check the grammar and what they offer you. you could counter check it with other websites to make sure the info is correct.

NO! Absolutely not! WIkipedia has been banned by most schools and universities, and cannot be used as a source in any papers or research.

Wikipedia is written by amateurs and volunteers. There is NO requirement that they have any expertise or knowledge.

Right now, if you tell me what page (article) you are looking at, I can go in and CHANGE THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE to say something different.

There is no editorial review based on accuracy or substance.

Anyone can say absolutely anything. WIkipedia is a BLOG -- not an encyclopedia.

Because most people are basically honest, some good information is posted on Wikipedia. But you will have no way of knowing if the information there is true or false.

So you can use it (and I do) as a starting point for research. But you must go find the original sources and do your own checking.

Frequently, sources are MISREPRESENTED, twisted, or distorted in Wikipedia articles. You have to use it as an index service and go read the original sources yourself.

of coase. wikipedia is written by real people. it's very reliable. and they screen each entry for accuacy

wikipedia itself claims it's unreliable...

here. see for yourself

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:W...

Wikipediais useful for some general information, but it is not reliable at all.