While the edit rate of the acid rain article was less than the edit
rate of the evolution and global warming articles, it was significantly
higher than the non-controversial topics.
Across the board, politically controversial scientific topics were edited more heavily and viewed more often, the researchers said.
"Wikipedia's global warming entry sees 2-3 editings a day, with more than 100 words altered, while the standard model in physics has around 10 words changed every few weeks," Wilson said.
"The high rate of change observed in politically controversial scientific topics makes it difficult for experts to monitor their accuracy and contribute time-consuming corrections," he said.
"As society turns to Wikipedia for answers, students, educators, and citizens should understand its limitations when researching scientific topics that are politically charged," Likens said.
Wikipedia does employ algorithms to help identify and correct blatantly malicious edits, such as profanity.
However, Likens and Wilson urged users to cast a critical eye on Wikipedia source material, which is found at the bottom of each entry.
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Across the board, politically controversial scientific topics were edited more heavily and viewed more often, the researchers said.
"Wikipedia's global warming entry sees 2-3 editings a day, with more than 100 words altered, while the standard model in physics has around 10 words changed every few weeks," Wilson said.
"The high rate of change observed in politically controversial scientific topics makes it difficult for experts to monitor their accuracy and contribute time-consuming corrections," he said.
"As society turns to Wikipedia for answers, students, educators, and citizens should understand its limitations when researching scientific topics that are politically charged," Likens said.
Wikipedia does employ algorithms to help identify and correct blatantly malicious edits, such as profanity.
However, Likens and Wilson urged users to cast a critical eye on Wikipedia source material, which is found at the bottom of each entry.
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
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