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Articles on Wikipedia

 * Maple syrup

"Maple syrup." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 12 Sep. 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.


 * Library of Parliament

"Library of Parliament." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 12 Sep. 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.


 * Saffron

"Saffron." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.


 * Caspian Sea

"Caspian Sea." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 13 Sep. 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

Articles on Other Encyclopedias

 * Maple Syrup

"Maple syrup." How Products Are Made. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.


 * Library of Parliament

Hillmer, Norman. "Library of Parliament." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion, 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012


 * Saffron

"Saffron." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.


 * Caspian Sea

Hogan, C. Michael. "Caspian Sea." The Encyclopedia of Earth. 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

My Search Process
I started my search by choosing other online encyclopedias first because I knew I would definitely find my topics in Wikipedia. I chose The Encyclopedia of Earth, Encyclopedia.com, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition based on the suggestions offered in the assignment page. I chose Library of Parliament and maple syrup as two Canadian topics, and saffron and Caspian Sea as topics related to my home country, Iran. Choosing these 4 topics was also because I could not find some other topics I had in mind in the other encyclopedias. It was easier to find articles about universal topics in Wikipedia than in other online encyclopedias.

I searched for my topics in the other encyclopedias first; when I found satisfying results, I searched for them in Wikipedia. After reviewing all articles, I decided that my search was successful because I found sufficient information in all 8 articles. Although the amount of information offered in these articles vary, I found the material in Wikipedia to be very similar to the information offered by other encyclopedias. The other beneficial element of the articles I found on Wikipedia was that they all offered plenty of references to other reliable and authoritative sources. In conclusion, it was not a difficult process to find credible information on web based sources such as encyclopedias. Comparing Wikipedia articles with other encyclopedias articles was a great way to infer if the information is correct and reliable or not. It is better to review different resources before choosing the information for research or assignments.

Wikipedia Assignment 2, Library and Information Technician: LIB2002 Reference I
This assignment contains a summary and a comparison of two articles about saffron, one article from Wikipedia and the other from Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition as well as my assessment of the two articles and additional resources I found about my topic.

Summary, Comparison, and Assessment
Encyclopedia Britannica provides a short description of saffron that explains the important elements such as origin, usage, a few points about its history, and its value. As described in encyclopedia Britannica, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron plant has a purple flower with golden-colored stigmas which turn to golden threads after drying. Saffron is believed to be native to the Mediterranean area, Asia minor, and Iran.

Saffron was used for different purposes in the past and traces of using saffron can be found in many old cultures and civilizations:
 * A golden-colored, water-soluble fabric dye was distilled from saffron stigmas in India in ancient times. Shortly after Buddha died, his priests made saffron the official color for their robes.
 * As a perfume, saffron was strewn in Greek and Roman halls, courts, theaters, and baths; it became especially associated with the hetaerae, a professional class of Greek courtesans. The streets of Rome were sprinkled with saffron when Nero made his entry into the city.
 * Saffron is mentioned in the Chinese medical text (Pun Tsaou).
 * It is mentioned in an English leechbook (healing manual) of the 10th century.

The golden-colored stigmas of saffron are the important part of the plant. Each blossom has 3 stigmas and a pound of saffron represents 75,000 blossoms. The three stigmas are handpicked from each flower, spread on trays, and dried over charcoal fires for use as a food flavoring and coloring. It is used to color and flavor many Mediterranean and Oriental dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads. Currently, saffron is cultivated mainly in Spain, France, Sicily, Italy, Iran, and Kashmir.

Wikipedia, on the other hand, provides lengthy and specific information about saffron. Based on Wikipedia article, saffron is a flowering plant with purple flowers and crimson stigmas. saffron is the most costly spice by weight and the reason for its high price is related to the low amount of stigmas per each flower and the fact that the stigmas need to be collected by hand. The origin of saffron is Crete or Central Asia and its recorded history goes back to the 7th-century BC; it has been traded and used for over four thousand years. It is not completely certain, but it is assumed that the word Saffron may have been derived from the Persian word زعفران (za'ferân). Saffron grows in hot and dry climates similar to the climate in northeast and central Iran, but it can survive cold winters as low as −10 °C. It grows best in full sunlight and is harvested in autumn. They grade saffron in laboratories for its measurements of color, taste, and fragrance and the results determine the quality of saffron.

It is recorded in historical texts that saffron was used for medical purposes in a wide range and in many different parts of the world such as Persia, China, India, and Greece. It was also used in baths with other body washes for wound and skin treatments. Today, saffron is used in cooking for flavoring and coloring. It is also used in perfumes, for religious purposes in India, and as a fabric dye in some countries. Iran has the highest rate in producing saffron with 90-93% of the global production; Greece and Kashmir are in the second and third places. saffron is produced in many other countries around the globe as well, but the amount of production is not significant.

To begin the comparison of these two articles, I should say that the amount of information provided varies significantly. Encyclopedia Britannica gives a brief summary of the main elements describing saffron. It provides short information on history, origin, use, and physical description of saffron. In contrast, Wikipedia article gives elaborate and specific information about each of the areas mentioned above as well as additional areas such as etymology, species, chemistry, grades, varieties, and trade. Also, Wikipedia offers the great help of visual information through the many pictures in the article which makes it easier for the reader to better understand the material.

When looking at each area in both articles, it is noticeable that Encyclopedia Britannica only gives one side of the facts that are most popular about saffron and are widely known to keep the article short but factual. Wikipedia article, due to the fact of having numerous authors and the possibility of public contributions, explains all the strong and weak facts about each area and gives the audience the choice to decide which information is more accurate. For example, the part describing the origin of saffron in Encyclopedia Britannica is only one sentence that states that saffron is believed to be native to the Mediterranean area, Asia Minor, and Iran. The same part in Wikipedia article includes more than 2 pages of information that explains the different possible origins of saffron based on the historical texts found on the topic.

Another example that is very interesting is the part in Wikipedia article that describes how saffron was introduced to the west part of the globe. It has great details about how saffron traveled across the world and how people looked at saffron as the most valuable spice in the world. It gives interesting short stories about wars, travelers, and famous people in the history involved with saffron. Encyclopedia Britannica summarizes all the history about saffron in a few sentences and explains that saffron was introduced to the world through invasion, travel, and trade. Wikipedia also offers detailed information about the physical structure of the flower and the chemical substances found in both the flower and the saffron stigmas as well as the different species, varieties, and grades of saffron which I found very informative.

Although there is a big difference in the amount of information offered in these two articles, I think they both serve their purposes very well. Encyclopedia Britannica follows the rules of being an encyclopedia and gives the information in a short, concise, but precise manner and satisfies the needs of whoever looks for a simple description of the famous saffron. Wikipedia, known for its expansive articles, offers the reader a full description and various entries on information that would help the reader for further research. They both give accurate and comprehensive information that is not overwhelming or hard to understand.

The most important part of the Wikipedia article is that it offers a long list of references related to the topic including books and journal articles. Each of these references provides a great amount of information about saffron that makes it easier for a researcher to find accurate and sufficient information without going through a long search for authoritative material. For example, one of the journal articles that I read was written by the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Ltd. and contained 4 pages of information about growing, harvesting, drying, market, and quality of saffron, and the article itself had a few more suggested links for further reading. I think with the large amount of references and the extra links offered by the references, the reader would obtain a great amount of efficient information about the topic and could achieve satisfying results.

Unfortunately, Encyclopedia Britannica offers only one reference link that is another article on the database which I found very disappointing. The saffron article on Encyclopedia Britannica has only 2 contributors whereas saffron on Wikipedia has close to 1000 contributors for only the English part of the article. The article is available in 65 more languages with contributors from around the world who entered all or some of the information in their own languages. I assume that the editors of this article were mostly in agreement with the accuracy of the information because I rarely could find comments about inaccurate information or major deletion.

I think both articles are good and contain accurate information comparing to what I already knew about saffron. In my opinion, it would be better if Encyclopedia Britannica offered more information especially because it is the online academic version of Encyclopedia Britannica. Even providing more references would make the article more beneficial for academic research. The article in general lacks some important areas of information about the topic such as etymology, different varieties and qualities of saffron, and more information about its cultivation. I also could not find any detailed information about the fragrance and color of saffron considering that these two elements are what make saffron such famous and valuable spice in the world.

The amount of information I found on the Wikipedia article was enough for this assignment, and with the help of its extensive list of great references, I think it would be a great article for a research paper on saffron. However, For reviewing specific information about the chemistry, or medical properties of saffron, a researcher must use the references offered or even search for more resources because the information on the article in not sufficient. For example, in the section labeled Use in the article, there are some information about the medicinal benefits of saffron that is very short and incomplete. The article hints that saffron might be helpful to depression, cancer, or a few other health issues, but it does not back up this information with more detailed descriptions. However, I found some of the references offered to be related to the medicinal aspect of saffron.

Although in my opinion saffron article on Wikipedia is very complete and comprehensive, I would not use this article solely to write a research paper. Even though all the information are gathered from other sources by the contributors, I still cannot view it as a fully accurate article due to the fact that it is open to public for editing. In addition, there might be some biased information in the article that I would never notice. For example, when it comes to the part that describes the trade process of saffron, I might find some biased information due to the political issues related with the main countries that produce saffron.

The saffron article on Encyclopedia Britannica also needs more addition of material; it is not an article to be used solely. I describe both articles as great resources for general knowledge. They are both easy to read and they both touch on the main and most important elements about saffron. These two articles, especially the Wikipedia article, help the reader to create a clear general idea about what is saffron, how it is used, and why it has become such a famous and valuable spice among people. I would recommend these two articles to others, but I would also recommend to check for the accuracy of the material in the resources offered on Wikipedia or other great resources that can be found in libraries.

To end my report, I would like to add a piece of information about using saffron which I have learned in Iran: it is better to crush saffron stigmas between fingers before adding it to food, or simply using ground saffron. By doing so, saffron releases more color and fragrance. Also, it is better to mix saffron with warm water or add it to a warm food that contains some kind of liquid. Adding saffron to dry ingredients does not fully bring its color, flavor, or aroma out.

More Resources about Saffron
More information about saffron can be found in the resources below. These are a variety of resources including books, encyclopedias, and articles on electronic journals.

Stuckey, Maggie. The Complete Spice Book. New York: St Martin's Griffin, 1999. Print.
 * The Complete Spice Book

Ortiz, Elisabeth Lambert. The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, & Flavorings. Montreal: RD Press, 1992. Print.
 * The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, & Flavorings

Mohd Zulkifle, et al. "The Incredible Health Benefits Of Saffron: A Review." Journal Of Pharmacy Research 4.7 (2011): 2156-2158. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
 * The incredible health benefits of saffron: A Review

Gregory-Smith, John. Mighty Spice Cookbook. London: New York: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2011. Print.
 * Mighty Spice Cookbook

Ford-Martin, Paula; Frey, Rebecca. "Saffron." Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. Web.
 * Saffron


 * Saffron

Salloum, Habeeb. "Saffron." Countryside & Small Stock Journal 96.4 (2012): 51-54. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

Willard, Pat. Secrets of Saffron. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001. Print.
 * Secrets of Saffron

"The Secrets Of Saffron." Canadian Living 32.4 (2007): 151-158. Canadian Reference Centre. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
 * The Secrets of Saffron

Hemphill, Ian. The Spice and Herb Bible: A Cook's Guide. Toronto: Robert Rose Inc., 2002. Print.
 * The Spice and Herb Bible: A Cook's Guide

P. S. Ahuja, et al. "State Of Art Of Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.) Agronomy: A Comprehensive Review." Food Reviews International 25.1 (2009): 44-85. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
 * State of Art of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Agronomy: A Comprehensive Review