2017/08/28 by Thomas Shafee, Gwinyai Masukume, Lisa Kipersztok +3 · 102 citations
Social Sciences · Computer Science · Medicine · #Wikis in Education and Collaboration #Web and Library Services #Medicine #Data science #Content (measure theory) #World Wide Web #Internet privacy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1136/jech-2016-208601
published in Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 71(11), jech-2016 (BMJ)
openalex publication_date 2017/08/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
As one of the most commonly read online sources of medical information, Wikipedia is an influential public health platform. Its medical content, community, collaborations and challenges have been evolving since its creation in 2001, and engagement by the medical community is vital for ensuring its accuracy and completeness. Both the encyclopaedia's internal metrics as well as external assessments of its quality indicate that its articles are highly variable, but improving. Although content can be edited by anyone, medical articles are primarily written by a core group of medical professionals. Diverse collaborative ventures have enhanced medical article quality and reach, and opportunities for partnerships are more available than ever. Nevertheless, Wikipedia's medical content and community still face significant challenges, and a socioecological model is used to structure specific recommendations. We propose that the medical community should prioritise the accuracy of biomedical information in the world's most consulted encyclopaedia.