Wikipedia:Trust model

Some Wikipedians favor a user-based trust model. For some other pages on this topic, see Category:Wikipedia editorial validation.

Use of model

Show approved version by default

Perhaps the easiest implementation of trust model: wikipedia should display the most approved version instead of the latest one. Users would have the ability to rate content where ratings from users that have published most approved content would count more. Kind of PageRank (algorithm for rating in Google) for versions. Of course everyone would still be able to see the latest version. The only problem with this implementation is that it goes counter to the "release early and often", or as it is implemented in wiki "real time editing", philosophy that Jimbo Wales credits as a large part of the success of Wikipedia.

Show latest version with disclaimer

Another use of a trust model would be to label the confidence the Wikipedia places in the current version of an article. All articles would still display the latest version, but articles with less than the highest confidence level would include disclaimers with links to higher confidence versions (if available).

This method follows the maxim that an article is only as trustworthy as the last hands that touched it. An expertly written and approved article may be improved or defaced by an anonymous editor; only a trusted Wikipedian can judge whether anon or newbie edits were an embarrassment to the Wikipedia.