Wikipedia als Informationsquelle: Eine Analyse der Fachliteratur zu Qualitätssicherungsmechanismen und zur Vertrauenswürdigkeit

Abstract

Wikipedia, as one of the most widely used online encyclopedias, is an important source of information. The platform is based on an open editing structure that allows any user to edit articles, which is both a strength and a weakness. This openness raises concerns about the quality and trustworthiness of the information, as vandalism and inadequate sourcing can potentially affect the quality of the articles. This thesis investigates the quality assurance mechanisms and factors that influence the trustworthiness of Wikipedia in order to gain a better understanding of the platform as a source of information. The methodology of this study includes a systematic analysis of the literature, which considers empirical, non-empirical, machine-learning and deep-learning articles on Wikipedia's quality assurance and trustworthiness. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in renowned scientific databases, followed by a detailed content analysis of the relevant articles. The work is divided into several chapters that shed light on different aspects of quality assurance and trustworthiness The results show that quality assurance in Wikipedia is achieved through a combination of manual revisions and automated systems. High-quality articles go through an intensive editing phase and contain consistent, long-lasting contributions. Registered users and core members of the community contribute significantly to improving quality and combating vandalism. The authors' social networks also have a decisive influence on article quality. Articles that are edited by centrally networked authors are generally of higher quality. The use of machine learning and deep learning models has shown that they can effectively predict the quality of articles. Confidence assessment models enable a precise assessment of article quality and trustworthiness. However, the work also highlights challenges such as the difficulty of quality assurance for infrequently updated articles and the potential disadvantages of the reputation system for new users. Overall, this study shows that Wikipedia is a complex and dynamic system with both strengths and weaknesses. The openness of the platform enables broad participation and rapid updating of content, which is particularly advantageous in rapidly changing areas of knowledge. At the same time, this openness requires robust quality assurance mechanisms to ensure the reliability of the information provided.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	René Riedl (Supervisor)