Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online dictionary that is free to all Internet users. Wikipedia has been around since 2001 and was founded by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales. Wikipedia is not your typical dictionary / encyclopedia. There are options for any user of the site to edit any information that is presented on the site. Therefore, many professors, teachers, and scholars do not allow their students to use this site or do research for school on this site. The information is available for anyone to edit, which discredits the site. Alexander M.C. Halavais, an assistant professor of communications at Quinnipiac College, decided to do an experiment on the Wikipedia website. Halavais, a scholar who one would think would not be questioned, posted an article containing several errors. Some of the errors were obvious and some seemed to be scholarly written and would possibly make it past a normal person’s judgment. Although, to Mr. Halavais surprise the editors of Wikipedia quickly caught on to the errors and they were corrected. Despite Halavais’ experiment and his conclusions of the credibility of the website, there are still doubters out there.
I think that the doubt from the scholars and academics comes from just the available access that the site has to anyone and that everyone can edit the information. On the other hand, I love Wikipedia and I use it almost as much as I use Google, but I should be reserved on how much I use it. I think eventually Wikipedia will gain enough confidence from the academics to be credible.