Many of my teachers told me early in schooling that Wikipedia is not a credible source to get information from.During middle school and throughout i was always reminded by my teachers before an assignment to not use wikipedia as a source because wikipedia is accessible to anyone and any person can sign in and change informations even if its false. After reading the article “Wikipedia is Good for You?” by James P. Purdy i did change my mind on wikipedia, even though i cant use wikipedia as a source i can still use it to get some ideas or useful informations which is also important.

James P. Purdy explains to us that Wikipedia can be a good source in three different ways” Rather than a source to cite, it can be a source of 1 ideas 2 links to other texts and search terms”. Ideas When you begin a research-based writing project, read the Wikipedia article on your subject to get a sense of the various facets or angles you could write about. 2 links to other text we can use Wikipedia as a jumping-off point for other texts to consult for your analysis. According to Wikipedia’s Verifiability Policy, content posted to papers must be verifiable—that is, it must be quoted (Bruns 114, “Wikipedia:Verifiability”), so articles contain bibliographies, as seen in figure 1. As seen in figure 2, they sometimes contain “further reading,” “external link,” or “see also” these lists always provide direct links to other sources. this shows that even though wikipedia is not a reliable source it can still be used for other benefits.

After reading the article ” Wikipedia is good for you?” by James Purdy i would consider wikipedia a community platform because even though its not a reliable source you can use it for many benefits like getting ideas for a topic and get ideas, find new sources through wikipedia and more just like in the article page 211 gill acknowledges wikipedias problem with accuracy but it was helpful for her in getting some background information. This can help many students who are lost get some ideas on what to do or what to search to get their answers for questions.

1. What were you told about Wikipedia in your early schooling? How has that changed after reading Purdy?

In my early schooling I was not allowed to use Wikipedia as a source. I was told it was not reliable nor true to use. Those that contribute to the Wikipedia articles do not need to be experts or professionals, and incorrect information can seep in. However, even the Encyclopedia Britannica, a trusted source, has errors, and Purdy concludes that Wikipedia is as trustworthy as Britannica in a variety of science articles. However, Wikipedia is constantly changing, and it would be a hassle to cite from it, for the person that visits the same article link may read a completely different version! From reading Purdy’s opening statements and paragraphs, I understand that college level writing should involve more advanced sources, rather than a general encyclopedia, which includes the use of Wikipedia. However, Wikipedia can be read and used in different ways.

1. What are some ways that Purdy explains Wikipedia can be a useful tool to you as a student and scholar? Describe at least two.

Wikipedia can help you see at a glance an outline for your research. The table of contents and headings can aid and provide ideas for your research paper. Additionally, Wikipedia has links citing the sources used for the information listed on their site. Therefore, you can look at such sources and evaluate for yourself if they are credible and how reliable they are for your research.

1. After reading about how Wikipedia works, would you consider it a community platform? For what reasons? Were you aware of the conversations taking place over every article edit?

I do consider Wikipedia as a community platform because it is available to the public for free, and those visiting the site can also contribute to it. I was not aware of the conversations regarding the edits. I used to think any random person could edit it and you would never know why or how. But now that I am aware, I read through some discussions and it was quite interesting. It helps me make my own judgement of how reliable the article is for my personal use, and it is interesting to see other people’s perspectives.

1. Early in schooling, I was told multiple times Wikipedia is not a reliable source to get information from. In high school, most of my English teachers reminded my classmates to not use Wikipedia because anyone can go on to Wikipedia to change information or write false information, so it was not a good source to use, especially on research papers. After reading Purdy’s essay I realized that even though Wikipedia cannot be used as a source, it can still be useful to students in many ways. I used to think Wikipedia was just a trap for students to fall into believing everything they read. But I learned that Wikipedia is a source where you can exchange knowledge.  

2. One of the ways Wikipedia can be a useful tool to me as a student and other scholars is that it can help generate ideas and findings of other links and texts. This is a very interesting way of how Wikipedia can help make my research stronger, it is almost like a gateway to all known service to generating different points of views, angles, and different argumentative points. Another way Wikipedia can be a useful tool is by how it provides sources that can be related to the topic you are researching. In college, students need to have sources that are written by professionals and reliable articles that give them accurate information. Wikipedia can also give sources that might be reliable.  

3. After reading about how Wikipedia works and the process guide of Wikipedia, I am surprised to say that I would consider it a community platform. That is because Wikipedia is a place where professionals or even just any individuals who do know about a topic, can write an article or their research, it’s open to anyone. I think that now Wikipedia should have policies and regulations to stop vandalism and prevent false information. I was not aware of the conversation taking place over every article edit, I rarely visit Wikipedia and I also didn’t know it contributes to revising and depend on each other to work to complete a task. I think it is interesting and fascinating because giving writers and authors the space to respond to other contributes and talk about why they made certain changes to me means that Wikipedia definitely is a community platform. 

1.In my early schooling days my teachers did not recommend us to use Wikipedia as a credible source as anyone can go and edit information on there. After reading “Wikipedia Is Good for You!?” by James P. Purdy, I understand now that Wiki doesn’t have to be used for citing but instead can help in many other different ways. I don’t think students should shy away from using the site, but knowing how to use it is crucial because it can lead to other useful resources. 

2. Different ways Purdy explains Wikipedia as being a useful tool to students is by using it as a source not to cite but to gain ideas. Purdy states “Looking at the table of contents and headings can help you view your topic from vantage points you might not otherwise consider..”.Checking out Wikipedia before starting a research-based writing project can help you get an insight into different elements you might write about. This can assist you in improving your research writing paper, which is a good option. Wikipedia can also be a helpful tool for revising. Purdy suggests that making a change to a wiki article based on one of your drafts can help “see how others respond and analyze those responses. In other words, give your idea a test drive with a public audience.” This is actually beneficial because it gives you information that you can use to revise your draft based on the feedback and responses you receive.

3. I would consider Wikipedia as a community platform because there are many editors who contribute to maintaining the site by creating new articles and revising older ones. I actually wasn’t aware of conversations that took place on Wiki which contributes even more to it being acknowledged as a community.  Before reading Purdy’s article I had not considered Wikipedia beneficial or even a community but seeing things from a different perspective it is much more than an online encyclopedia. Wiki reminds me of a big group project where volunteers fix a spelling mistake, remove false information, add something that was missing.