January entry for Young Glory 'Wikipedia"

1. Young Glory
Round 4
“Wikipedia”
Give us an inch, and we’ll give you miles
ATJC

2. Wikipedia has the potential to be a great
research tool for students. However, because
anyone can write and edit an
article, Wikipedia cannot be used as an
academic source.

3. But some students use Wikipedia as a starting
point, and will attempt to find the sources
used in the article.

4. The problem is that the majority of these
sources are not free, and even if a student’s
university subscribes to online journal
databases, many sources are still difficult to
find.

5. Wikipedia will create an extensive online
database consisting of the most popular
academic journals. Students will be able to
search and read full journals on a range of
subjects, and Wikipedia articles will have links
to the appropriate sources.

6. We can fund this new service as well as the main
Wikipedia project by targeting the heads of
universities and other places of tertiary
education.

7. Some universities spend more than $20 million a
year on their sports teams. So why not use
some of this money instead to benefit all of
their students?

8. Give us an inch, and we’ll give you miles.

9. By donating to Wikipedia every
semester, tertiary institutions will be helping
out their own students by allowing Wikipedia
to provide them with a near-endless amount
of knowledge.

10. To coincide with the campaign, annual fun
runs will be organised at select campuses.
Students are encourage to dress up as a
person or character from their favourite
Wikipedia page.

11. Photos will be uploaded online, and students
can compete with other institutions for prizes.
The events will be held to gain support from the
community and to promote the campaign.

12. This idea would transform Wikipedia into an
effective and simplified way for students to
excel in their studies.
The benefits received by students would far
outweigh the contributions of their tertiary
institutions.