TOEFL Integrated Writing Practice Test 060Encyclopedias

Communal online encyclopedias are among the newest resources available on the Internet. In many ways, they resemble traditional printed encyclopedias, as they are collections of articles on various topics. However, what sets these online encyclopedias apart is that any internet user can contribute a new article or edit an existing one. As a result, these encyclopedias are authored by a broad community of users. While the concept may seem appealing, communal online encyclopedias face several significant issues that make them far less reliable than traditional printed encyclopedias.

First, contributors to communal online encyclopedias often lack formal academic qualifications, which results in contributions that are, at best, only partially accurate and, at worst, completely incorrect. Traditional encyclopedias, on the other hand, are written by subject-matter experts who maintain high academic standards that non-experts typically cannot meet.

Second, even when an original entry in an online encyclopedia is accurate, the open-access nature of these encyclopedias allows malicious users, vandals, or hackers to alter, delete, or distort the information. Once changes have been made, unsuspecting users may not realize that the entry has been tampered with. Such vulnerabilities do not exist in traditional encyclopedias.

Third, communal online encyclopedias tend to place too much emphasis on trivial or popular subjects, which can create a misleading sense of importance. For example, a child researching for a school project might find that a significant historical event receives as much coverage as a long-running television show. Traditional encyclopedias, in contrast, provide a thoughtful selection of topics and a balanced sense of proportion that democratic, user-driven online encyclopedias often lack.