User:Aarchiba/The Great Encyclopedia Showdown

How to do a comparison between Wikipedia and other encyclopedias:


 * 1) Pick a list of subjects (without considering what's already in Wikipedia, therefore preferably subjects you haven't spent time working on in Wikipedia)
 * 2) For each topic, find the most relevant Wikipedia article or articles; find the most relevant article or articles in the other encyclopedia.
 * 3) Fix a date; use the last revision before that date for comparison (after all, it'll be tempting to improve the Wikipedia articles!)
 * 4) Read both versions.  Write a comparison, including the following points:
 * 5) How hard was it to find the information?
 * 6) How much information was actually there?
 * 7) Were there pictures or other useful illustrations?
 * 8) Were there any inaccuracies or inconsistencies (internal or between the two sources)?
 * 9) Were references permitting verification available?
 * 10) How was the writing?  Clear?  Grammar and spelling?

Suggested subjects:
 * 1) History: Hanging Gardens of Babylon
 * 2) Technology: DVDs and DVD-ROM etc.
 * 3) Science: Evolution
 * 4) Politics: Politics of Syria today
 * 5) Religion: Unitarianism
 * 6) Literature: Joshua Slocum, particularly Sailing Alone Around the World
 * 7) Hobbies: Amateur radio
 * 8) Controversial topic: Israel
 * 9) "Geek" topic: Doctor Who