using wikipedia to study for biology?

[brianbellau]

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My textbook is boring, it's Campbell and usually it's padded with too many damn words. Wikipedia and googling gets straight to the point, is it okay to study like this instead of reading the book?

 

[knv2u]

My textbook is boring, it's Campbell and usually it's padded with too many damn words. Wikipedia and googling gets straight to the point, is it okay to study like this instead of reading the book?

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you are too lazy to read the textbook or are that uninterested in science, perhaps you have chosen the wrong career. If you hate reading now, medical school will be hell. I can just see you trying to study for the USMLE using Wikipedia (assuming you are lucky enough to make it into medical school). Wikipedia is pretty much hit or miss. Anyone can edit it. Some posts may accurate and well presented, and others could be complete crap. Use at your own discretion.

If, on the other hand, the one particular author is unclear, you could always find another book in the school's library to help supplement your studies for your class.

 

[lucitrea]

I think the accepted order of importance is

In class notes=PowerPoint>book>YouTube>Internet

So use the book to help you understand your in class notes, then the internet if you don't understand the book.

But you can do whatever and see if it works on the midterm.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you are too lazy to read the textbook or are that uninterested in science, perhaps you have chosen the wrong career. If you hate reading now, medical school will be hell. I can just see you trying to study for the USMLE using Wikipedia (assuming you are lucky enough to make it into medical school). Wikipedia is pretty much hit or miss. Anyone can edit it. Some posts may accurate and well presented, and others could be complete crap. Use at your own discretion.

If, on the other hand, the one particular author is unclear, you could always find another book in the school's library to help supplement your studies for your class.

Though you make some good points, this is introductory biology we're talking about here. I don't think many people have a hard time comprehending those concepts. Wiki definitely shouldn't be used as a primary source, but it's pretty respectable when you just need quick info or a different explanation of a topic. Most residents look info up from Wiki regularly, or at least they have in my experience.

 

[CognitiveCheese]

I use wikipedia for the quick access to good/decent references, rather than information on the page. I had to do a small research paper really quick where accuracy was important. I tried to use facts from wikipedia to support some of my points and was annoyed that even after checking the citations, "facts" were wrong and not even supported in the citations they chose. I wouldn't count on wikipedia unless you are willing to check the sources for accuracy and repute. Good for general info, bad for facts.

 

[KnuxNole]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you are too lazy to read the textbook or are that uninterested in science, perhaps you have chosen the wrong career. If you hate reading now, medical school will be hell. I can just see you trying to study for the USMLE using Wikipedia (assuming you are lucky enough to make it into medical school). Wikipedia is pretty much hit or miss. Anyone can edit it. Some posts may accurate and well presented, and others could be complete crap. Use at your own discretion.

If, on the other hand, the one particular author is unclear, you could always find another book in the school's library to help supplement your studies for your class.

To be fair, there ARE people in med school who studied for classes using Wiki...apparently the Physiology sections are top notch 😛

 

[mehc012]

I use wikipedia for the quick access to good/decent references, rather than information on the page. I had to do a small research paper really quick where accuracy was important. I tried to use facts from wikipedia to support some of my points and was annoyed that even after checking the citations, "facts" were wrong and not even supported in the citations they chose. I wouldn't count on wikipedia unless you are willing to check the sources for accuracy and repute. Good for general info, bad for facts.

And yet, according to that Nature study, as reliable on facts as Britannica!

I have frequently used Wikipedia to supplement my studying. The topics I've spent the time researching myself (yup, even with secondary sources like Wikipedia) have always been the ones that stuck best and which I understood the most. For example, some textbooks have a horrid explanation of kidney physiology. Wikipedia has plenty of supplementary figures and several pages (an overview and then a separate page for each component)...totally worthwhile.

 

[edgerock24]

Wikipedia isn't the greatest place to actually study for a class/exam. However, it can be used to get a quick baseline understanding of a new topic.

But I totally understand how dry/boring textbooks can be. Just because a textbook is boring doesn't mean the subject is. This is where Youtube comes in handy. There are tons of good lectures available online. I recommend using Youtube over Wikipedia.

 

[Whack Get Out]

I almost never read the textbook, in undergrad or med school. Powerpoints, study guides, and old tests are all better uses of your time IMO. Wikipedia and youtube if you're not getting something and you need to get a watered-down description. Also, classmates and office hours.

 

[organdonor]

As others have said wiki is more than adequate for background knowledge or a different explanation on a topic.

It is sub optimal for studying for several reasons. Info on Wikipedia of course can be edited by anyone so you can never be sure what you are reading is accurate. On the other hand, the information may be entirely accurate but the depth of knowledge is often inappropriate for a college level course; sometimes information will be written more towards a high school reader while another "editor" may be a Ph.D in the subject sharing his senior thesis. Entirely too broad or too narrow a focus. The best way to know the breadth of knowledge necessary for your exam is to attend lectures and take good notes.

After all, you should be studying the sources from which the tests will be based. That is unlikely to be a wiki

 

[Omppu27]

I would never use wiki as my main source of studying. However, this past semester I did use it to give myself a big picture view of some of the topics in my immunology class.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Wikipedia is how I made it through undergrad. I make a $10 donation every year.

 

[Jabbed]

Everyone uses wiki, but no one uses it as a primary source. OP, don't be lazy. Crack a book and review power points like everyone else. Besides, intro bio books read like Twilight.

 

[KnuxNole]

Everyone uses wiki, but no one uses it as a primary source. OP, don't be lazy. Crack a book and review power points like everyone else. Besides, intro bio books read like Twilight.

They spend entire chapters describing sparkly vampires in unnecessary detail? :O

 

[Jabbed]

They spend entire chapters describing sparkly vampires in unnecessary detail? :O

Yes, if you ever read Campbell you'd know that Stephanie Meyer ripped off the idea from him.

 

[kyamh]

Wikipedia is how I made it through undergrad. I make a $10 donation every year.

Yes! I think Wikipedia is a great source for all the introductory bio stuff. As someone who regularly edits Wikipedia for accuracy, I think that the main idea pages (cell cycle, photosynthesis, DNA replication, basic genetics, basic evolution, organ systems, enzyme dynamics) are generally fine and definitely good enough for undergraduate intro courses.

For all the students out there who are on OP's case for being lazy, I'd like to point out that the is nothing wrong with using resources available to you to shorten whatever responsibilities you have so that you free up time for other things you would rather be doing. As long as you don't sacrifice your understanding of the concepts, who cares how you came to learn the information? The best students know themselves well enough to not waste time studying how other students study and instead figure out the most efficient ways to assimilate new knowledge.

As far as looking forward to medical school, do we look down on a medical student who learns primarily through re-listening to lectures, looking through online tutorials and playing with Iproduct apps? No! There is a weird undergrad (?) stigma against students who don't live in libraries and don't spend all their free time bent over textbooks. There are many ways to learn 😉

 

[BlueLabel]

Most of the times I've tried to look up concepts on wiki I end up with information that is significantly more detailed and complicated, and requires a much broader knowledge base than my undergraduate level courses required. So I agree that you shouldn't use Wikipedia as a primary study tool though it can supplement your learning, but for a different reason.

 

[knv2u]

Yes! I think Wikipedia is a great source for all the introductory bio stuff. As someone who regularly edits Wikipedia for accuracy, I think that the main idea pages (cell cycle, photosynthesis, DNA replication, basic genetics, basic evolution, organ systems, enzyme dynamics) are generally fine and definitely good enough for undergraduate intro courses.

For all the students out there who are on OP's case for being lazy, I'd like to point out that the is nothing wrong with using resources available to you to shorten whatever responsibilities you have so that you free up time for other things you would rather be doing. As long as you don't sacrifice your understanding of the concepts, who cares how you came to learn the information? The best students know themselves well enough to not waste time studying how other students study and instead figure out the most efficient ways to assimilate new knowledge.

As far as looking forward to medical school, do we look down on a medical student who learns primarily through re-listening to lectures, looking through online tutorials and playing with Iproduct apps? No! There is a weird undergrad (?) stigma against students who don't live in libraries and don't spend all their free time bent over textbooks. There are many ways to learn 😉

My comments were meant from a practical stand point and it isn't an issue of looking down on him per se (although I stand by my assertion that if he can't deal with the reading load in an introductory biology class then medical school will be more difficult). Wikipedia can be edited by anyone. In fact, someone could be editing and destroying the articles that you wrote or proofread as we speak. 🤔 I think it is a mistake to use it as a primary study tool without consulting more reliable sources (textbook, notes, lectures, study outlines, professors, even some online videos such as MIT Open Courseware are actually pretty great) to at least verify the veracity of the content you read. There is nothing wrong with looking for ways to study more efficiently, but I think it is ill advised to compromise the reliability of your study materials IMHO.

Edited to add: One of my high school teachers and some of my classmates started a contest to see who could come up with the most believable Wikipedia page containing completely fabricated information. 😉 It was a fun experiment to demonstrate the vulnerability of Wikipedia.

 

[CarlosDanger]

In my experience, wikipedia is the most helpful when I'm having trouble grasping a concept based on whatever lectures/textbook I've already been given, and I think its a great starting point. Its also good when you just need to look up a term really quick, or need just a vague idea of what something means. Wikipedia actually has quite a bit of more obscure or in-depth bioscience material, even at the graduate school level, its not all just for beginners - although its going to get less detailed and more incomplete or one sided the more esoteric you get.

Just don't think of it as the last word in your studying.

 

[KindofBlue]

Most of the times I've tried to look up concepts on wiki I end up with information that is significantly more detailed and complicated, and requires a much broader knowledge base than my undergraduate level courses required. So I agree that you shouldn't use Wikipedia as a primary study tool though it can supplement your learning, but for a different reason.

I agree. Many times information on Wiki turns out to be some graduate or doctorate level stuff that further complicates the concept (at least in my experience). Either that or it's way too simple so I usually end up using a different source or going back to the textbook.

 

[lobo.solo]

I think the accepted order of importance is

In class notes=PowerPoint>book>YouTube>Internet

So use the book to help you understand your in class notes, then the internet if you don't understand the book.

But you can do whatever and see if it works on the midterm.

This was the case for me, but it also depends on the professor. I only consulted the text or internet for clarification. I also looked at the summary of the chapter to get an idea of the most important concepts.

 

[Vans42]

I use Wikipedia all the time to clarify things - even now in my research position. It was great to hear things put in different words, and I also used YouTube a lot to visualize concepts for the MCAT. It shouldn't be your first resource, but I've found it very useful.

 

[astromfs]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you are too lazy to read the textbook or are that uninterested in science, perhaps you have chosen the wrong career. If you hate reading now, medical school will be hell. I can just see you trying to study for the USMLE using Wikipedia (assuming you are lucky enough to make it into medical school). Wikipedia is pretty much hit or miss. Anyone can edit it. Some posts may accurate and well presented, and others could be complete crap. Use at your own discretion.

If, on the other hand, the one particular author is unclear, you could always find another book in the school's library to help supplement your studies for your class.

Hit or miss? Wikipedia is pretty good.

 

[mehc012]

Hit or miss? Wikipedia is pretty good.

Seriously. I feel as if most of the people posting on here about how worthless Wikipedia is have either never used it or just jumped on the whole 'I am intellectually superior to Wikipedia' bandwagon that went by a while back. I thought people were over that.

If you want to learn the basics, use your textbook. If you want to understand it better, learn supplemental details, or simply go at the information from a different direction, try poking around on Wikipedia for a while as well. Be sure to use all of the links and look up any topic that they reference but which you don't understand.

 

[futuredoc8000]

My textbook is boring, it's Campbell and usually it's padded with too many damn words. Wikipedia and googling gets straight to the point, is it okay to study like this instead of reading the book?

You need to study wisely. Ask the teacher what sort of information will be on the exams. Is it from the textbook? From powerpoint slides (if your teacher presents any)? From in class discussions/notes (if your teacher writes on the board or something)?
Ask your teacher what the exams will be on. Study accordingly. In my bio class the exams were based off of powerpoints, so I never even touched the book.