Week 15 ---What I Learned from Editing Wikipedia-CHEN SIWEN 진사문

 To be honest, when I first started editing Wikipedia, I didn’t think too much about it. I just noticed that a certain article was missing some details and thought, “Hey, maybe I can help fill this in.” But once I actually started working on it, I quickly realized—editing Wikipedia is far more than just typing a few lines.

This experience taught me a lot. Not just about the content itself, but about how knowledge is built, maintained, and shared. More importantly, I learned that anyone—yes, even someone like me—can contribute to that process in a meaningful way.

1. Reliable sources matter more than I thought

Before this, I assumed that if multiple websites said the same thing, it was probably true. But Wikipedia taught me to ask a more important question: “Is this information verifiable—and from a trustworthy source?”

Wikipedia has strict standards for citations. Academic journals, reputable news outlets, and official reports are preferred, while blogs, forums, and random social media posts usually don’t make the cut. I had to dig deep, check the credibility of each source, and sometimes even rephrase what I wrote to better reflect what the evidence actually supported.

It made me realize that knowing something and being able to prove it with solid sources are two very different things.

2. Neutrality isn’t easy—but it’s necessary

At first, I didn’t think much about how I worded things. I used phrases like “tragic” or “heroic” without a second thought. But then I got a reminder from another editor: “Wikipedia isn’t a place for opinions, even subtle ones.”

That’s when it clicked—language has power. Especially when writing about topics like war, politics, or human rights, even small word choices can change the tone or suggest bias. I learned to replace emotional phrasing with clear, factual description. Staying neutral doesn’t mean you don’t care—it means you respect the reader’s ability to draw their own conclusions.

3. Wikipedia is a team effort—and that’s beautiful

A lot of people think Wikipedia is written by a group of hired experts. But the truth is, it’s created by everyday people, all around the world, working together.

Each time you make an edit, someone might improve it, fact-check it, or suggest changes. I even joined a discussion about how to name a particular article. Everyone came from different backgrounds and perspectives, but the goal was the same: to make the article as accurate and balanced as possible.

It’s messy sometimes, but it works. And there’s something really powerful about strangers coming together to build something useful for others, just because they care.

4. Writing for others teaches you more than you think

In order to write a good article, I had to read a lot—more than I expected. And the more I read, the more I realized how little I actually knew about the topic at first.

There’s a saying: “If you want to truly understand something, try explaining it to someone else.” That’s exactly what editing Wikipedia felt like. I had to process complex information, summarize it clearly, and make it understandable for people who might be reading about it for the first time.

It wasn’t easy—but it made me a better learner.

Final thoughts

Through this experience, I went from being just a consumer of information to someone who helps take care of it. I learned to be more thoughtful, more careful, and more respectful of what it means to share knowledge with the world.

I’ll definitely keep contributing to Wikipedia. Even if each edit feels small, I know someone, somewhere might benefit from it. And that, to me, makes it all worth it.