Building Knowledge with Care: Sourcing and Trust on Wikipedia --WANG YIKE 4.1


One of the most important lessons from contributing to Wikipedia—or doing any kind of research—is understanding how to find and use reliable sources. The video “How to Find Reliable Sources for Your Research” offers practical tools and strategies for doing just that, while Chapter 4 of Joseph Reagle’s Good Faith Collaboration reveals how the Wikipedia community navigates the complexity of sourcing in an open, collaborative space.

Why Reliable Sources Matter

As the video explains, not all information is created equal. Wikipedia’s core content policies—verifiability, no original research, and neutral point of view—depend heavily on the use of trustworthy, third-party sources. The video breaks down the differences between scholarly articles, books, reputable news outlets, and less reliable sources like personal blogs or user-generated content. It also provides helpful tips, such as using library databases, checking an author’s credentials, and identifying bias.

This careful sourcing process is essential to ensure that what we add to Wikipedia is not only true but also verifiable by others. The goal isn’t just to share knowledge—it’s to make that knowledge traceable and trustworthy.

Reagle: The Value of Verification in Community

In Chapter 4, titled “Wikipedia’s Epistemology of Discourse”, Reagle explores how the Wikipedia community deals with questions of truth and reliability in a decentralized environment. Since there’s no single authority deciding what goes into an article, editors rely on cited sources to back up claims. The fascinating part is that truth on Wikipedia is not based on consensus or belief—it’s based on what can be verified through published sources.

Reagle also highlights how disputes about content often become disputes about sources. In a community that values transparency and neutrality, citing sources is not just a technical requirement—it’s a social practice that builds trust and enables collaboration. Even when editors disagree, they can resolve conflicts by asking: “What does the source say?”

He also points out that Wikipedia’s reliance on secondary sources creates an “epistemology of discourse”—truth is negotiated through evidence, citation, and respectful argument, not personal opinion.

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