Research on Wikipedia

About half of the content on Wikipedia comes from only one-tenth of 1 percent of its 75,000 contributors, according to the latest installment of a study from University of Minnesota researchers. And edits are quickly fixed, as the research reveals that less than one-half percent (0.0037) of typical viewing is likely to involve a damaged article. Although encounters with vandalism increased over time, there was a break in June 2006, which the researchers believe is the result of the increased use of anti-vandalism bots. "Our research suggests vandalism on Wikipedia is a relatively small problem today," says computer science and engineering professor Loren Terveen. "But continued research is needed to contain that damage in the future." ACM's Group 2007 Conference published the paper, "Creating, Destroying and Restoring Value in Wikipedia," in its proceedings on Nov. 4.