Once you get beyond high school, it's rarely a case of "Expert A says XYZ". It's often a case of "Arguments 1, 2 and 3 logically support XYZ, as detailed by Expert A." You shouldn't be taking anyone's word for it, at this level.
Again, I should say, I love wikipedia. I use it, frequently, as a starting point for gaining general understanding in some area where I'm ignorant. I also think it's useful as a general research prompt for some areas. It excels on topics where there is no controversy, and all that's required is aggregation and formatting of established fact.
But when you need to be able to present an academic argument in favor of some thesis, and your source is fireflyrox487 at IP 208.98.78.43, something has gone horribly wrong.
|