How do you know if the information on Wikipedia is correct?

Answer 1

(*Wiki s are provided subject to the Site Disclaimer at the related link below.)

Objective assessment of independently verified facts, concensus, and consistency. On the internet, it is generally good advice to be wary of uncited information.

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The dilemma you present is inherent to all topics found on the internet. All you or anyone can do is find a site that is well regulated, & to check your answers with other sources.

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You can't be certain how valid an answer is on a site like this where everyone is encouraged to provide answers.

It never hurts to do a little research on your own once you get an answer and see if the facts match up.

It also helps if people would mention where they got their facts.

And (this should be obvious) if a reply starts with something like "I'm not sure, but..." or "I think..."

And thanks to many helpful, responsible and knowledgeable people, incorrect information is often noticed and commented on.

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Please bear in mind, too, that some questions relate to very complex issues and no single answer will be right in an 'absolute' sense. Obviously, a question like 'What were the underlying causes of WW1?' isn't comparable to 'How many yards are there in a mile?' The question about WW1 is still a matter of scholarly research and debate, whereas the question about yards in a mile is quite different. (Having said that, some answers will certainly be inaccurate). With experience, you may be able to work out whether an answer is well informed - whether the person who wrote it seems to have done plenty of reading on the topic or not. You may be able to develop a the ability to recognize answers that are a repetition of what the answerer learned at high school, and may now remember inaccurately. Some answers may be based on guesswork, and you may be able to learn to recognize these.

In general, one should be cautious about accepting a simple answer to a question about things that are complicated.

If you need to be reasonably certain about the accuracy of an answer, you should do the necessary research in the ordinary way, and treat the answer(s) you get here as possibilities, not as definitive.

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If an answer is wrong, we hope someone with the right answer will fix it. You can report errors to the category supervisors.

Although an answer may not satisfy your question, in many cases it may indicate terms or corrections that will help locate your information.

Answer 2

You cannot be completely sure if the answer to a question is correct. If you want reliable information, it would be best to double-check the answer by checking a variety of other websites. The Trust Point system that WikiAnswers has adopted is also a good indication of whether or not you can trust an answer.

Answer 3

Yes and No

Some contributors Opinions

* I know some answers are correct, I have answered some questions, backed by experience, actually doing, and in-depth research. In my field of expertise-as-it-were. * I think that it depends on who is giving the answer to the question, you might not want to believe what is on here because it might not be true!!!!! But i think that i give truthful answers. * It can be hard to tell whether the answer is true or not, but if it seems logical, then it most likely is. I answer questions to the fullest of my knowledge, and do some research too. There are probably some things within an answer that are incorrect, but it is an honest mistake. ______________________________________________________________________ Just a bit of a disclaimer: Some of them can be urban legends, myths told just to make people entertained, high,or scared. A lot of them could have possibly been answered by mature adults, who would actually try to help the world by answering their questions! == ==

Answer 4

Many of the answers on WikiAnswers are correct.

Others might not be correct because anyone can post on WikiAnswers and it could be that some people might have posted incorrect information, either mistakenly or deliberately.

Some very sound advice is that when doing any sort of research, never, ever depend on just one source. Always have at least two sources; three or more are even better. It does not matter if you are using WikiAnswers, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, Encarta, or any other source; you should always back it up with information from another source.

Answer 5

There are two ways:

As a registered member, you may set your watchlist to email you whenever a contribution is made or edited to your questions.

As a registered member or nonregistered user, you may revisit the question as often as you like.

Answer 6

On each answer page - there are two pieces of information. One that tells you the name of the first person to post an answer - and one that states the name of the last person to edit the answer.

Answer 7

you dont, sorry