I’m not very familiar with how Wikipedia vets the sources in the references/external links. I was wondering whether there are manual or automated checks for cyclic sources, for example a Wikipedia page cites a source for something, but such source after a few rounds of citing would go back to the same Wikipedia page.

  • Does that happen with Wikipedia?
  • Does it matter? I presume that would invalidate the source?
  • How do they make sure it does not happen? Is there an automated check or something?
  • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
    13·
    11 months ago

    Wikipedia does not check if the sources themselves cite Wikipedia. I mean they can, but they rarely do.

    This has led to situations where a falsehood keeps getting added because it has a “reliable source” and editors are too lazy to question it.

  • liori@lemm.ee
    7·
    11 months ago

    From my experience, despite all the citogenesis described in other comments here, Wikipedia citations are still better vetted than in many, many scientific papers, let alone regular journalism :/ I recall spending days following citation links in already well-cited papers to basically debunk basic statements in the field.

      • liori@lemm.ee
        1·
        11 months ago

        I do not have notes from that time anymore, sorry. I do recall though that after following a chain of citations I ended up at the paper in the center of this controversy. Nobody sane would cite in now except to point out its flaws, but if there’s a modern paper that cites a 10 year old paper that cites a 30 year old paper that cites it—people usually won’t notice.