Not so long ago, if you wanted to look up a fact, a date, or any other piece of information on nearly any topic, you’d have to look in an encyclopedia or go to the library. Today, the contents of a thousand encyclopedias and a million libraries are instantly accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Like the shelves at a bookstore, websites and other virtual resources offer a wide range of publications written by authors with an equally wide range of knowledge and skill. But while an author’s lack of writing skill might make their material harder to read, it doesn’t mean that they don’t know what they’re talking about. You might not enjoy the reading experience, but you’ll get the information you need. On the other hand, an author’s lack of knowledge on a topic means you may waste your time looking for facts that aren’t there – or worse, you may find information that is inaccurate and rely on it as true.

Printed materials are often not the best source for researchers because they go out of date so quickly. Out-of-date information is one of the main causes of inaccuracy in print publications, which is why the editors responsible for traditional reference materials like dictionaries and encyclopedias have to regularly review, refresh, and reprint the hardbound and paperback volumes that people have bought and used for generations. Unfortunately, the high cost of print publication means that these updates are only done yearly, or even less often.

Changes in science and technology cause even more inaccuracy when people have to depend on printed books. Not only are reference materials generally at least a year out of date, books published by scientists and researchers generally aren’t updated at all. It’s usually easier for the author to simply write an article containing the new or revised text and submit it to a journal or other regularly-published collection of information. That means that libraries have to subscribe to those publications and keep them up to date on their shelves, and no library can afford to have a copy of journals in every field. If you’re interested in a specific topic, you might not find what you’re looking for at a library, so you’ll have to subscribe to the printed journal yourself to stay up to date.

One reason why Wikipedia is the best source for researchers is that it’s updated regularly – people all over the world are constantly editing and adding information on topics that they know about and are interested in. They use the modern online versions of journals and publications to add new knowledge to this global database, so it’s easier to find the most current data and the results of the latest studies. Wikipedia is also a good place to start your research because it has entries for almost any topic you can think of, from the African roots of modern jazz to the best day to hold a Zoroastrian wedding. If you’re looking for information on how to improve your speed reading skills, how to eliminate typos when you’re at the keyboard, how to become a better speller, or how to increase your vocabulary, visit eReflect’s Wikipedia page for easy access to the latest in self-improvement software.

About the Author: Elizabeth Farquhar is the Content Expert for eReflect – creator of 7 Speed Reading which is currently being used by tens of thousands of happy customers in over 110 countries.

Ultimate Vocabulary is on different social media platform. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Googe+ for more insight tips and advice.

Check out eReflect’s Profile on Wikipedia, Youtube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Crunchbase and Training Industry as well!

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments