Can Wikipedia become a valid source?

When an expert comes in and edits a page on Wik, no one even tries to edit it unless they are positive it's wrong, less it be changed back. The community is exploding, and honesty is really the only thing that lasts on the site. Subjects that need constant change, like science and news, can be changed immediately.
Plus, public means almost anything can be on there, and there are enough people willing to contribute.
I don't have a relationship with Wikipedia or anything, but every other question on YA was posed negatively. And I think shareware and such have a chance. Linux is free.

Teachers are off the hook

I am going to answer this question as a teacher.

When we tell students not to use Wikipedia as a source, it is because it is always changing. A reliable source remains constant. Granted, someone can publish revised information, but if a student writes that the information came from something like "Newsweek issue 7.3 published on February 19, 2008" than I (or anyone reading the paper) can go back and see exactly the same source as the writer of the paper.

I do allow my students to use Wikipedia as a starting point or for basic information, however when teaching how to research, it's just not reliable enough. As a starting point, if you look at the sources listed on Wikipedia it might lead you to a specific book or journal which will have the data needed.

Additionally, it is the same reason why we tell students to only go to "official websites" such as professional organizations or educational sites. Not personal sites such as geocities. Anyone can make a website or publish the information, it doesn't make it correct and verified.

I truly believe in the potential of Wikipedia. Many of my professors forbid to let us use Wiki as a source right now and I can see why, but more and more credible sources are posting accurate and unbiased information, so I don't see why it can't become valid in the near future.

wiki can not become a valid source, until one certified group would take it over and not allow the public to change it. which we know will not happen.

no sometimes the information could be wrong. go to a website that has positive answers

I love wikipedia. It is true that anyone can edit it, but that is a good thing. If someone comes along and changes something to include false information, the community will fix it. Usually false information is removed in as little as five or ten minutes.

And wikipedia is actually a more reliable source than others - building a webpage isn't difficult. Anyone can just make a webpage and say whatever they want on it, right or wrong. The difference is, no one else can change it to make it right, or prove that it is wrong. Therefore, if you find a "wrong" site, it will hurt you way more because you have no way to prove it's false, no reason to belive it's false, and no way to fix it.

i use wikipedia for all my projects and I think it's reliable unlike what all the teachers at school think

I think only in that it provides links to resources. I don't take anything on there at face value.

The information itself may be credible, but the problem with wikipedia is the amount of plagiarism that exists on them. Lots of pages do not contain proper sources or they contain off topic or false information. Since it is the internet it is very hard to hold anyone responsible for plagiarism. So it is best to not use Wikipedia as a source of information at all.

It Acutuly is allready.

NEVER. I know people that post false information in wikipedia everyday and nobody find out.

It depends on if the article that you are looking at has any sources. I feel that Wikipedia does have good information, but also keep in mind that it can be falsified information. Always make sure that the sources for the article are correct and valid.
You can also use the resources as a starting point sometimes like web links or books that they used. I think you can use it as resource but be careful and always check with valid resources.

It would have to be fully edited by professionals in the many subjects that have given wikipedia its standing. Recently it came out that a "doctor -- NOT" was giving medical advice through wikipedia.

It means, check other sources as well.