Librarians + Wikipedia = Trusted Health Information
Authors: Margie Sheppard, BSN, MLS, Community Engagement Coordinator, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 3, A. R. Dykes Library of Health Science. University of Kansas Medical Center; and Jennifer Ortiz, MLS, Health Literacy & Membership Specialist, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 3, Gibson D. Lewis Library, the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, is one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Available in 329 languages, Wikipedia pages are viewed over 2500 times a second and average around 263 million visits each month. It falls in the top 10 most visited websites globally [1] and is currently #10 in the United States [2] The English version of Wikipedia alone records 200 million visits daily! It is also one of the most popular sources of health information for physicians, professionals, medical students, and consumers. Therefore, the quality of health information on Wikipedia and how people access and interact with the content is vital.
It is no surprise that librarians are some of the biggest critics of the popular online encyclopedia. Some maintain that because anyone can edit content the information is not reliable. Wikipedia editors, like librarians, value open access, good citations, and accurate information – so librarians working on Wikipedia is a natural partnership. By becoming editors and actively engaging in editing, the quality of information will increase enormously by being backed up by citations from reliable resources.
Recognizing the importance of adding credible and reliable citations to medical and health articles on Wikipedia, the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) became active in #CiteNLM edit-a-thons in 2018. To foster new editors, a free, self-paced, four-week course was developed by NNLM staff. The course is designed to assist library staff in gaining insight into the value of Wikipedia as a viable health information resource and offers MLA continuing education credit.
Emphasis is placed on building skills and knowledge needed to evaluate articles on Wikipedia with a specific focus on health and medical topics. At the beginning, students tend to be dubious about Wikipedia overall. Students learn the history of Wikipedia, how to evaluate articles, and take part in discussions and other activities to gain insight into the value of Wikipedia. Instructions on how to improve articles by adding citations are included, therefore leveraging librarians’ research skills to make Wikipedia a better resource for all users. Assignments include critiquing the quality of two health articles and making an edit to an article.
Data points to the course being successful in introducing librarians to Wikipedia as a reputable health information resource. Since October 2020 more than 227 participants have started the course with a completion rate of 48%. 100% of survey respondents stated they learned a new skill they will use in the future. 100% strongly or somewhat agree the training improved their ability to find useful online health information. Post-course comments include: “I now appreciate Wikipedia-based health information and feel I have the tools to contribute authoritative, reliable citations to improve articles” and “This course shifted my perspective on Wikipedia (in a positive way) giving me ideas for how to use Wikipedia to teach health information literacy and/or information literacy in general.”
Of the participants who completed the course and filled out the evaluation, several stated that they wanted more opportunities for editing and training on Wikipedia. NNLM now holds a virtual #CiteNLM edit-a-thon a week after each course concludes to allow participants to interact and ask instructors additional questions as they continue their editing journey.
If you would like to learn more or participate in a #CiteNLM edit-a-thon, join us for our spring 2023 campaign on March 24 to improve Mental Health articles.
References:
[1] Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 14). List of most visited websites. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_visited_websites
[2] Top 100: The most visited websites in the US [2022 top websites edition]. Semrush Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/most-visited-websites/