Fact check: As Wikipedia turns 20, how credible is it? The user-compiled encyclopedia has helped students and sometimes horrified their teachers. So how accurate is the information? What should users be aware of? Wikipedia is beloved for its up-to-date information, but that can also be misleading Wikipedia, which has been referred to as a world treasure, turns 20 on Friday. According to research conducted over the years — including a scientific study published by the journal Nature in 2005 and a report commissioned by the site's Wikimedia Foundation in 2012 — Wikipedia's entries are comparable in quality to those in prestigious encyclopedias such as Britannica. However, it is difficult to measure the consistency of information that can be altered at any time.