2023/01/01 by Caroline Ball · 1 voice · 1 citation
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #Web and Library Services #Wikis in Education and Collaboration
paper · pdf · doi:10.1629/uksg.604
openalex publication_date 2023/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/06
Wikipedia is the world’s largest information source, used daily by millions of individuals around the world – yet such is its uniqueness and dominance that rarely is the question asked: what exactly is Wikipedia? This article sets out to explore the different categories of source that Wikipedia could be defined as (primary, secondary or tertiary) alongside the varied ways in which Wikipedia is used, which defy easy categorization, exemplified by a broad-ranging literature review and focusing on the English language Wikipedia. It concludes that Wikipedia cannot easily be categorized in any information category but is defined instead by the ways it is used and interpreted by its users.