In my early years, my teachers told me that Wikipedia shouldn’t be used because anyone can edit the information on the website. After reading “Wikipedia is good for you” by James P. Purdy I realized he was incorrect about Wikipedia. In the essay, it states “Usually teachers do not like two primary aspects of Wikipedia. The first is its open participation: anyone, regardless of background, qualifications, or expertise, can write Wikipedia articles. As a result, articles can display incorrect information. There are many examples of such incorrect information on Wikipedia. Perhaps the most infamous involves the Wikipedia article on John Seigenthaler (former journalist, political advisor, and father of the reporter of the same name on NBC news). Brian Chase changed the article to indicate that Seigenthaler played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. This untrue contribution lasted for 132 days (Page, “Wikipedia Biography”).” Wikipedia can help you find many sources of information but people avoid based on the fact of its credibility. As a student, most of my college courses require me to write a research paper. The process of writing a research paper is difficult because you need credible sources but using unreliable sources like Wikipedia your paper would get a failing grade.

Wikipedia as a tool can reinforce approaches to research-based writing. in the text, it states “Wikipedia, that is, can help to illustrate (1) recursive revision based on idea development, (2) textual production based on participation in a conversation rather than isolated thinking, and (3) research based on production rather than only critique (Purdy). The process of successfully contributing to a Wikipedia article, in other words, parallels the process of successfully creating a piece of research-based writing.” The processes are similar and could be used as practice for research-based writing. It can also be used as a reference for sources. After reading the essay, I would consider it a community platform because multiple people are editing articles. Until now I wasn’t aware of the fact multiple people were having a conversation over the article edit, and when I did it came as a shock to me.