Even though I continue to be excited over the possibilites I see for uses of social networking software like wikis and blogs in education, I offer a word of caution. In this world of collaboration, where we work together to create web content, it becomes crucial that we ensure our sources are reliable and scholarly. This blog is evidence that anyone can say anything on the internet, yet, as a student and soon-to-be professional, you must make sure that your sources of information are valid and truthful. Otherwise, you can make some important decisions based on poor knowledge and inaccurate facts.
And, by all means, give credit to the people from who you have borrowed ideas! In my research work, just this week, as I read about Web 2.0 and social software, I have literally read the same paragraph at least 3 times! Yes, I mean the exact same paragraph, with the exact same words, in three separate publications, without a citation! I don't know who to give the credit to! In this e-world of cut/paste/copy/paste, this is easy to do, but, just as easy to correct - either "quote" the author with reference or paraphrase the content and reference.
This information from UCLA library is a very concise guide for evaluating web content. http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm
For a more detailed list of resources, visit the Cornell University Library website. This site has an extensive list of resources to help you learn how to validate your web resources. Please visit this link http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html and keep these in mind as you select links for your research work. Specifically, as you find related links for your wiki pages, make sure they are solid academic sources, or current professional business literature.
