re: #106 Mattand

I don’t buy the whole “Never use Wikipedia for research” argument. I get into this with my school teacher sister all the time.

Should it be the only source for research? Of course not. But the thing is, they hyperlink the footnotes right on the frigging page. The sources are right there.

Honestly, I think much of the hating on Wikipedia is a perceived elitist thing: easily accessible on a home computer, as opposed to being a huge stack of expensive printed books.

Right. Wikipedia is an excellent starting point, not something you cite in an argument, but since there is often a direct link to the actual evidence, it’s very useful.

It’s also useful when my boss - or worse, HIS boss - wants me to investigate some gene product. Some of them have like 20 names! And it’s often the same as another gene product, or similar enough that you can easily mix them up. I once spent a whole afternoon chasing the wrong gene. Too bad, too. That other one looked like a better target!