Research Citations Building Trust in Wikipedia

TL;DR

This study investigates researchers' perceptions of Wikipedia citations, revealing generally positive attitudes and highlighting differences across disciplines and publication types, with implications for combating misinformation.

Contribution

It provides empirical data on author sentiment towards Wikipedia citations and explores how research citations may enhance trust and reduce misinformation.

Findings

Positive researcher sentiment towards Wikipedia citations

Significant differences across disciplines and publication types

No significant difference between open and closed access articles

Abstract

The use of Wikipedia citations in scholarly research has been the topic of much inquiry over the past decade. A cross-publisher study (Taylor & Francis and University of Michigan Press) convened by Digital Science was established in late 2022 to explore author sentiment towards Wikipedia as a trusted source of information. A short survey was designed to poll published authors about views and uses of Wikipedia and explore how the increased addition of research citations in Wikipedia might help combat misinformation in the context of increasing public engagement with and access to validated research sources. With 21,854 surveys sent, targeting 40,402 papers mentioned in Wikipedia, a total of 750 complete surveys from 60 countries were included in this analysis. In general, responses revealed a positive sentiment towards research citation in Wikipedia and the researcher engagement practices. However, our sub analysis revealed statistically significant differences when comparison articles vs books and across disciplines, but not open vs closed access. This study will open the door to further research and deepen our understanding of authors perceived trustworthiness of the representation of their research in Wikipedia.