“Generally, blogs and Wikipedia are not recommended sources of information meant for academic pieces of writing.”
An academic pieces of writing differs from general articles. In the case of the latter, information can be sourced from anywhere irrespective of its nature.
What matters is whether the information is appealing to the audience of readers that the article is meant for and the owner of the article. But, this is not the case in as far as academic articles are concerned.
In academic writing, pieces of articles are supposed to be based on information that has been corroborated by reputable academic sources. It has to be verifiable and must be cited by the writer and others. But, it is worth mentioning that not all sources can be trusted.
There are some sources which are not recommended for use in academic pieces of writing.
Generally, blogs and Wikipedia are not recommended sources of information meant for academic pieces of writing. There are numerous reasons that can account for this. The main reasons are clearly highlighted in the passage.
“A blog is a website that is meant for airing views on a specific topic. “
Information Can Be Added By Anyone
A blog is a website that is meant for airing views on a specific topic. The articles present on any blog are written by individuals who are merely interested in spreading information on a specific topic or topics.
A blogger may or may not cite one’s sources or even reference them. One is not mandated to do so. Therefore, the chances of finding wrong information on blogs are quite high.
On the other hand, Wiki writers may be required to add references. But, their references are usually not fit to be called scholarly articles. Therefore, using Wikipedia articles as sources of academic information is not recommended.
Articles Can Be Edited By Anyone
In as far as blogs and Wikipedia are concerned, articles can be edited by anyone. Provided the individual has been granted privileges to do so, one can make as many changes as one wants.