Abstract
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.
Highlights
Wikipedia.org is over ten years old and has become the sixth most popular website globally[1]
Given the political controversy that has surrounded the issue of acid rain, in this study we explore whether the frequency and magnitude of edits to the acid rain article are typical of scientific topics in general, or limited to controversial topics [21]
The geometric means (±SD) ranged from 0.2±1.4 edits per day and 9.4±5.0 words changed per day for the standard model to 1.9±2.7 edits per day and 110.9±10.3 words changed per day for global warming (Table 1)
Summary
Wikipedia.org is over ten years old and has become the sixth most popular website globally[1]. One of Wikipedia’s fundamental principles is the “bold, revert, discuss” cycle, in which volunteer editors are encouraged to make ‘bold’ edits including adding, removing, rearranging, or rewriting the content in the article [11].
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