Credit: wizeditor.com
Analyze Wikipedia as an information source, evaluating how it shapes the information we access and understand. Proceed to explain how we evaluate information, including how to use it and whether or not it is trustworthy. In order to do this, you should select a single Wikipedia page that you can analyze as a case study in information literacy. What information is included on the page you are analyzing? What information is not included? What does it address and what does it not address? Where and when do references appear? What types of sources are used as references? Which of the references would you trust most and which would you take “with a grain of salt”? Why? How is the information on the page organized and presented? What sections are used, and how is the information being broken down into these sections? Is any information presented in media other than text? What issues are at play on the page’s Talk Page? How do these issues affect your perception of the page and its contents?
How would you evaluate the page overall—what are its strengths and weaknesses?
Once you have analyzed the page you selected thoroughly, answering these questions, you should offer some conclusions and generalizations about the way we gain new information. How do we determine if the information is credible or not? How do we determine whether or not a source is trustworthy?
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