For as long as I can remember I had been told by my teachers that Wikipedia was an unreliable source and to never use it for research. I also remember ignoring them and using it on an almost daily basis- to look up quick definitions or concepts, tv show reviews, historical and upcoming events, biographies and so much more.
Wikipedia is always the first link that pops up when I search anything, and out of convenience I use Wikipedia more than I realized or cared to admit. So, when the opportunity presented itself for me to edit a Wikipedia page, I was pleasantly surprised. I had never given much thought to it before, but I quickly realized that this was actually a chance for me to be a part of something big. Being a Wikipedian is like being an author. Billions of people can access your work and you’re contributing to something actually meaningful.
Editing a Wikipedia page also gave me a chance to add to my limited knowledge on biodiversity loss and other inter-related topics (the page I initially edited). It was indeed very easy to navigate and access. Linking articles within articles and learning how everything in science is interconnected in one way or another is absolutely mind boggling. This assignment also improved my citation skills which I am thankful for. Knowing that the changes that I made must be revised before being published made me feel more confident in using the information cited in the encyclopedia, and also aware of the fact how falsely perceived Wikipedia is by the public.
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 