Reliability of Wikipedia
![Vandalism of a Wikipedia article. The section on the left is the normal, undamaged version; and on the right is the edited, damaged version.](/Images/godic/202502/21/Wikipedia_vandalism.svg4147.png")
![Article instability and susceptibility to bias are two potential problem areas in a crowdsourced work like Wikipedia](/Images/godic/202502/21/Klee-Irwin4147.gif")
![A diagram of](/Images/godic/202502/21/Relationship_between_Wikipedia_and_the_press.svg4147.png")
![Screenshot of Wiki-Watch rating of the article Reliability of Wikipedia rated as reliable source and additional orange WikiTrust marks for questionable edits](/Images/godic/202502/21/014-WW-Screenshot-Reliability_of_Wikipedia4147.png")
The reliability of Wikipedia (primarily of the English-language edition), compared to other encyclopedias and more specialized sources, has been assessed in many ways, including statistically, through comparative review, analysis of the historical patterns, and strengths and weaknesses inherent in the editing process unique to Wikipedia. Recent incidents of conflicted editing, and the use of Wikipedia for 'revenge editing' (inserting false, defamatory or biased statements into biographies) have attracted frequent publicity.