Submissions:2019/Fringe theories and edit histories: Six tips for critical information literacy on health topics with Wikipedia
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2019.
Title:
- Fringe theories and edit histories: Six tips for critical information literacy on health topics with Wikipedia
Theme:
- Reliability of Information
+ Relationship Building & Support
+ Inclusion and Diversity
Type of session:
- Presentation
Abstract:
Searching for information on health or medical topics is the third most popular online activity (Pew Research, 2014). People often seek supplemental or easy-to-read information as well as affective communities to help them cope with anxieties, questions, or concerns about their health, or the health of people they know (Neal and McKenzie 2011).
While the internet is a powerful resource for seekers, fringe theories about health and wellness persist. The recent measles outbreak is evidence of a breakdown in public trust in public health officials about the safety of vaccines and authority of parents.
Meanwhile, librarians and educators may work with skeptical information seekers who distrust Wikipedia. Vaccine skepticism persists. And there are also information seekers who believe all of what they encounter, due to the authority of convenience.
While Wikipedia is not meant to provide medical advice, editors know Wikipedia entries often top the search results; these high page views are reported as barometers of significance. Wikipedians have been devoted attention to developing WP:MEDRS guidelines and diligently improving biomedical information entries to follow, though not all entries are Good or FA class.
This talk presents a pedagogy for the overly skeptical or trusting information seekers to strengthen critical information literacy skills using Wikipedia to evaluate health and medical information. Using case studies about topics such as vaccines, supplements, and articles in women’s health, this talk will describe SIX general lessons to use to foster critical information literacy in library staff for their patrons.
The talk will summarize and deepen a portion the OCLC Wikipedia + Libraries: Health and Medical Information Literacy fall course, an NNLM-sponsored OCLC WebJunction course for public libraries, which I developed as a Wikipedia consultant in Fall 2019; my viewpoints are my own and do not represent OCLC or NNLM.
Academic Peer Review option:
- No
Author name:
E-mail address:
- jones.monika@gmail.com
Wikimedia username:
- Shameran81
Affiliated organization(s):
Estimated time:
- 20
Preferred room size:
- 30
Special requests:
- Presentation projector, screen etc.
Have you presented on this topic previously? If yes, where/when?:
- Not yet (will run course on Wikipedia + Libraries: Health and Medical Information in fall 2019.
If your submission is not accepted, would you be open to presenting your topic in another part of the program? (e.g. lightning talk or unconference session)
- Perhaps!