User:Cecilia14/sandbox

Wikipedia vs. Other encyclopedias
The topic of wind turbines is a subject that interests the writer since there are plans to build several in her community. The main point of interest is the impact wind turbines have on humans and the environment. Using Wikipedia, the writer searched the topic and located an article titled “Wind turbine”. This article had numerous links to other articles on the subject. However by using a selection process based on content, the number of articles was narrowed down to four. These articles all have extensive information on wind energy and all of the articles discuss both the positive and negative effects of wind turbines. Also two of the articles have further reading sections.

The other resources used for research were The Encyclopedia of Earth and Encyclopedia Britannica Online. For the article from Encyclopedia Britannica Online the selection process was the same as the selection process for the Wikipedia articles. The articles from The Encyclopedia of Earth were the easiest to find because the site has ratings listed beside the articles. All the articles the writer chose have at least a four out of five rating, and discuss the impacts of wind energy on the environment.

There are some differences to note between the articles from Wikipedia and the articles from the other two encyclopedias. Although the articles from Wikipedia have a substantial amount of information, the articles from the other encyclopedias seem to be more informative. Also the other encyclopedias have longer further reading lists. However, the biggest difference is that the other encyclopedias list their authors and most of these authors are professionals in the field whereas Wikipedia has unknown authors contributing to the articles. Therefore one can determine that from the research so far the other encyclopedia articles seem to be a better source than the Wikipedia articles.

Wikipedia vs. Encyclopedia of Earth
For this assignment, I chose to compare the Wikipedia article “Wind Power” and the Encyclopedia of Earth article “Wind Power”. The Wikipedia article is a general overview about wind power. The article has main eight sections that cover numerous aspects about wind power. The first section is about the history of wind power. The second section is about wind energy and how wind speeds and wind consistency effect energy production. The third section is about wind farms. The fourth section is about how the energy produced is measured and stored, as well as the efficiency of wind turbines and the growth trends for wind turbines in different countries.The fifth section is about the cost of wind turbines and the various incentives governments give to communities that have wind turbines. The sixth section is about the environmental impact of wind turbines. The seventh section is about the political and public opinions on wind turbines and the eighth section is about wind power on a smaller scale. Although detailed, the majority of the sections are snippets from other main articles on Wikipedia.

The article from the Encyclopedia of Earth starts with an introduction about wind power. This introduction briefly discusses the inconveniences of wind power, as well as wind turbine design, and how turbines convert wind into energy. The next section of this article is the “Physics of wind energy” which discusses the science of how wind turbines work and presents the equations used to measure the energy produced. The history of wind power is the next section which states that the first windmills were built by the Persians in 500 AD and that in 1891 Professor James Blyth patented the first wind turbine that produced electricity. The next section discusses the advantages of wind power. These advantages are that wind is a clean renewable resource that is available worldwide, the construction and maintenance of wind turbines provides jobs, and that turbines can cover a large area without destroying the land. The next section is the drawbacks of wind power and most of the issues are caused by the wind turbines. Some of these issues are that the turbines are aesthetically unpleasant, they can overheat and catch fire, and that many are required to produce a sufficient amount of energy to power a town. The final section is about the future of wind power which discusses the growth of wind turbine development on land and offshore.

Even though the Wikipedia article is longer than the Encyclopedia of Earth article, both have many similar points. Both articles discuss the history of wind power and even though the articles have differing viewpoints on who created the first windmills, both agree that in 1891 Professor James Blyth was the recipient of the patent for wind turbines that produced electricity[1][2]. Another important individual that both articles mention is Poul la Cour. He created more efficient turbines and founded the Society of Wind Electricians[1][2]. Both articles also mention that in the 1800’s Americans used windmills to pump water out to livestock and for steam engines[1][2]. The articles also contain the equations used to measure the energy produced by wind turbines and both articles highlight the positive aspects of wind turbines as well as issues associated with the technology[1][2]. However the Encyclopedia of Earth goes into more specific details about the downsides of wind turbines. The articles also mention that amount of wind turbines constructed has substantially increased in recent years and that this trend is expected to continue in the future[2]. One final similarity between the two articles is that they both have further reading and reference lists.

The main difference between the two articles is that the Wikipedia article is substantially longer than the Encyclopedia of Earth article. This results in the Wikipedia article covering all the main points of the other article as well as presenting new points. One subject that only the Wikipedia article discusses is the political and public opinions on the wind turbines. The feedback on the technology is mainly positive and the only people that seem to have a problem with the wind turbines are the individuals that have to live near the turbines[1]. Another topic that only the Wikipedia article discussed is that some remote communities use small scale wind generators to produce electrical energy[1]. The Wikipedia article also explains in further detail the main points that are mentioned in both articles in particularly about the science behind wind energy and the design of wind turbines.

The further reading list for the Wikipedia article consists of 13 items. The majority of these items are informative sources however three of the links just lead to lists. The reference list for the Wikipedia article is extensive. It contains 165 items but many of the links have expired or have barriers for the user. One barrier is that the last link on the reference list leads to a digital library that requires the user to be a member. Also very few of the links are authoritative sources or current. However the reference list contains several relative sources such as number seven “Wind energy and the environment”. This source is a PDF that contains information on climate change and the positive impact of wind turbines on the environment. The only problem with this source is that it is dated. For the Encyclopedia of Earth the reference list and the further reading list are combined. However there are only four links for further research and of the four links provided, only three are authoritative and only one link is current.

Like most Wikipedia articles, the author of “Wind Power” is unknown. However the article from the Encyclopedia of Earth has two authors Mark McGinley and Dr. C. Michael Hogan. Mark McGinley works at Texas Tech University as an associate professor for the Honors College and the Department of Biological Sciences. He is particularly interested in informing the public about environmental issues. Dr. McGinley has earned several degrees including a Ph.D. and is a participant in the Stewardship Committee of the Environmental Information Coalition. Dr. C. Michael Hogan is a physicist that is editor in chief for the Encyclopedia of Earth. He has written more than 1220 peer reviewed articles and has conducted research in 31 countries. He is a participant in the National Academy of Sciences as well as the Space administration and is one of the Founding Directors for the Association of Environmental Professionals. Dr. C. Michael Hogan has earned a Ph.D. in physics as well as a Bachelor’s degree.

I believe that overall the Wikipedia article is a good article. The article has a variety of topics regarding wind energy and each section has a lot of detailed information. Also almost every section has a parent page that provides further information on the subject. The language is understandable and the article is readable. There are no notices saying that the information is outdated or that the article is incomplete. However this article does have some major problems and the biggest issue is the reference list. Although the article has an extensive reference list that contains several authoritative sources, the majority of the sources are outdated and many of the links have expired or are unavailable for use. Another major issue is that no author is listed for the article which leads me to question whether or not the information is reputable.

I also think that the Encyclopedia of Earth article is good as well. This article is concise and understandable which makes it favourable for readers. The article is an authoritative source with a balanced unbiased viewpoint by two authors that are experts in their fields of study. There are some issues with this article and one is that the information is a bit outdated. Also the reference/further reading list is short and provides only four links. These links are not the greatest and like the article almost all of the sources are outdated.

In my opinion, the Encyclopedia of Earth article is the better article of the two sources. The Encyclopedia of Earth article has two reputable authors that have an abundance of scientific background whereas the author of the Wikipedia article is unknown. Therefore even though the Encyclopedia of Earth article contains less information its content is factual because it has two reputable authors whereas the Wikipedia article’s content is questionable because it has an unknown author. The Encyclopedia of Earth article is also more favourable because it is concise and understandable which makes it more readable than the lengthy Wikipedia article. Also the Encyclopedia of Earth article has both a “Benefits of wind power” section and a “Disadvantages of wind power” section which makes the article unbiased and balanced with positive and negative viewpoints. The biggest problem with both articles is that they are outdated or contain content that is outdated. The Encyclopedia of Earth article was written in 2009 and its oldest source is from 2004 and the Wikipedia article refers to a study that was conducted in 2003 and its oldest source is from 2003. Also the reference lists for both articles are bad. Both reference lists have non-authoritative and outdated sources and many of the links from the Wikipedia article’s reference list are not usable. However due to the reputable authors and balanced understandable content of the article, I believe that the article from the Encyclopedia of Earth is a better source than the Wikipedia article.