Wikipedia’s Crowdsourced Model Shapes Online Knowledge

Wikipedia operates as a free online encyclopedia that relies on a community of volunteers for content creation and maintenance. Its crowdsourced approach has made it one of the most widely used reference platforms in history.

Contributors use the MediaWiki system to edit and update articles in multiple languages. Wikipedia’s open collaboration model allows anyone to participate, but studies have found that a smaller group of users often handles much of the ongoing work.

In 2016, research indicated that a limited number of dominant contributors are responsible for maintaining many of the articles, rather than a broad, evenly distributed group of editors. This finding suggests that while Wikipedia is open to all, a core group of users plays a central role in content oversight and updates.

Wikipedia’s popularity is reflected in its global ranking, as it was the fifth most visited website in the world in 2022. Its reach and accessibility have contributed to its status as the largest and most-read reference work ever created.

What the numbers show

• In 2005, a study found Wikipedia had 3.9 errors per article, compared to Britannica’s 2.9
• Wikipedia edit-a-thons in 2016 resulted in over 304 million article views
• More than 2,000 scientific images were donated during 2016 edit-a-thons

Wikipedia edit-a-thons organized at science conferences in 2016 contributed to the creation or editing of over 6,300 articles. These events also led to the donation of thousands of scientific images and generated hundreds of millions of article views.

Comparative research from 2005 examined the accuracy of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica. The study reviewed 50 articles and found that Wikipedia averaged 3.9 errors per article, while Britannica averaged 2.9 errors per article.

Models of crowdsourcing suggest that optimal results can occur when some participants contribute to a project, while others benefit without directly contributing. This approach has been observed in Wikipedia’s collaborative environment, where both active editors and passive users play roles in the platform’s ecosystem.

Wikipedia’s structure and ongoing development continue to be shaped by both the efforts of its dedicated contributors and the broader community of readers who access its content. The platform’s reliance on volunteer participation and open editing remains central to its operation and influence.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.