Content Volatility of Scientific Topics in Wikipedia: A Cautionary Tale

被引:21
|
作者
Wilson, Adam M. [1 ,2 ]
Likens, Gene E. [2 ,3 ]
机构
[1] SUNY Buffalo, Dept Geog, Buffalo, NY 14260 USA
[2] Univ Connecticut, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Storrs, CT USA
[3] Cary Inst Ecosyst Studies, Millbrook, NY USA
来源
PLOS ONE | 2015年 / 10卷 / 08期
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
D O I
10.1371/journal.pone.0134454
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Wikipedia has quickly become one of the most frequently accessed encyclopedic references, despite the ease with which content can be changed and the potential for 'edit wars' surrounding controversial topics. Little is known about how this potential for controversy affects the accuracy and stability of information on scientific topics, especially those with associated political controversy. Here we present an analysis of the Wikipedia edit histories for seven scientific articles and show that topics we consider politically but not scientifically "controversial" (such as evolution and global warming) experience more frequent edits with more words changed per day than pages we consider "noncontroversial" (such as the standard model in physics or heliocentrism). For example, over the period we analyzed, the global warming page was edited on average (geometric mean +/- SD) 1.9 +/- 2.7 times resulting in 110.9 +/- 10.3 words changed per day, while the standard model in physics was only edited 0.2 +/- 1.4 times resulting in 9.4 +/- 5.0 words changed per day. The high rate of change observed in these pages makes it difficult for experts to monitor accuracy and contribute time-consuming corrections, to the possible detriment of scientific accuracy. As our society turns to Wikipedia as a primary source of scientific information, it is vital we read it critically and with the understanding that the content is dynamic and vulnerable to vandalism and other shenanigans.
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