Glaring Chemical Errors Persist for Years on Wikipedia

Glaring Chemical Errors Persist for Years on Wikipedia - scientific work related to Wikipedia quality published in 2017, written by Michael D. Mandler.

Overview

This letter is a response to an article (J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 769–771) about incorporating Wikipedia into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Though Wikipedia does not require the vetting of submitted material, it is undoubtedly a major resource for the 21st century chemist. Unfortunately, many errors in chemical structure are present in Wikipedia chemistry articles. Even when these mistakes are discovered and reported, articles are sometimes subsequently left uncorrected. In order to be a more useful resource, particularly for undergraduate learning, Wikipedia depends on timely fact-checking and editing by the chemical community.