Wikipedia or Encyclopaedia Brittanica?

  I will choose the open source like wikipedia since it is better in many aspects.
 
  First, for the quality and accuracy of the information, wikipedia provides people with loads of information that are well-monitored. There is a big team consists of elites from all over the world monitoring the whole system of wikipedia. They can see all immediate changes on web and they will check and monitor all of these immediate activities. Once they found any inappropriate content or data, they will correct it. And if there is any contraversy over any piece of data, there is a voting system which solve conflicts in a democratic way. I think this can ensure the quality and accuracy of the information uploaded. Moreover, information can be surely posted in a neutral stand since everyone can post what they know or what they reckon on the web and things will turn out neutral after may be some neccessary combinations, voting system and final changes.
 
  For proprietary encyclopaedia like Encyclopaedia Brittanica, the quality and accuracy of information can be ensured too, however, since the sources are owned by the specific companies or organisations, data can be bias or not neutral enough for people who can reach them. This kind of sources cannot be changed by public but only by the owner of the information. Refer to the survey conducted by the Nature Magazine, errors discovered in Wikipedia were far less than those discovered in Brittanica. (Wikipedia's, 2005)
 
  Second, for the needs of particular cultures, wikipedia can suit people from all over the world since this is an open source which can be changed by the public that come from different backgrounds and have different nationalities.
 
  And therefore, as I mentioned above, proprietary encyclopaedia like Encyclopaedia Brittanica can only be edited by its owner, which make it not suitable for people having different cultural background. People may find that some sources cannot cope with their personal belief or stand.

  Hence, I will choose the open source like wikipedia since it is a more flexible and well-monitored system and also a worldwide platform for people all over the globe to share their opinions and information.

1. Wikipedia's Accuracy Compared to Britannica . (2005 December 15) http://science.slashdot.org,
    Retrieved September 11, 2010 from:
    http://science.slashdot.org/science/05/12/15/1352207.shtml?tid=95&tid=14