Wikipedia:Why Wikipedia is not so great

This page in a nutshell: This page describes some concerns about Wikipedia. A lot of this page is from Wikipedia's first few years (2001–2006). Some problems have been solved, some concerns have been transformed into strengths, and some problems still exist. Don't assume that anything here reflects the current status, though.

This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcuts WP:NGR WP:WWINSG WP:NOTSOGREAT

Nothing is perfect, and Wikipedia is no exception. This page enumerates user opinions on why Wikipedia is not so great. For formal criticisms, see Criticism of Wikipedia. Much of the presented criticism is debated in separate essays: "Wikipedia is succeeding", "Wikipedia is failing", "Why Wikipedia is so great", and "Replies to common objections".

The following opinions are grouped into related sets. Since 2003, problems of inaccuracy (below under: Accuracy) were considered by some as the biggest issue. However, others have felt "POV pushing" (or bias, below under: NPOVness (non-bias)) to be a bigger problem, because statements could contain accurate facts while expressing only one point of view about a subject, rather than being a balanced, impartial treatment. There have been documented problems caused by open, anonymous gatherings of people on Wikipedia, such as the writing of vitriol (noted in 2003) or wiki-gangs (noted in July 2005). Another problem is that anyone can edit articles at any time, so people can vandalize articles, as long as they have an account. Some schools have been banned from making an account and that helps a little, but people can still vandalize out of school.