Citations to Wikipedia in Law Review Articles
| Item Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniel Baker |
| URL | http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1525619 |
| Publication | SSRN eLibrary |
| Date | December 18, 2009 |
| Call Number | 0000 |
| Accessed | 2010-01-13 07:02:59 |
| Library Catalog | SSRN |
| Language | en-US |
| Abstract | perceived omniscience and ease-of-use, Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has succeeded as an enterprise, and reliance on it for information has become pervasive. As a result, scholars and commentators are beginning to turn their attentions to this resource and its uses. For example, several authors have recently examined the use of Wikipedia by courts and litigants. This article intends to add to this quickly-growing scholarship by examining the citation of Wikipedia in law review articles. Part II discusses a citation analysis performed on articles published by nearly 500 law reviews between 2002 and 2008. First, the methodology for the analysis is described, from how the law reviews were selected to how the individual citations were organized and classified. Then, the sometimes-surprising results of the analysis are announced along with any trends that can be discerned from the statistics. Part III will provide an overview of the debate regarding the citation of Wikipedia. After discussing the purposes of citation generally, this work will examine the positions of its supporters and explain why citing to Wikipedia is nonetheless problematic despite its perceived advantages. Finally, Part IV will delve into the question of the propriety of citing to Wikipedia, culminating in a call for tighter editorial standards. |
| Date Added | 2010-01-13 02:02 |
| Added By | Stéphane Cottin |
| Date Modified | 2010-01-13 12:02 |
| Modified By | Marlène Delhaye |