Production of Scientific Information on the Internet Using the Example of Wikipedia

On the internet, lay people cannot only passively receive scientific information, they can also actively produce it. How do lay people process uncertain and contradictory information? While research is available on how recipients deal with fragile and conflicting scientific information and theories, little is yet known about the factors that influence the production of natural science information by lay people on the Internet. In our article, we discuss a variety of influencing factors and derive predictions about how these factors affect the production behaviors and the resulting text products. Finally, we illustrate our considerations using the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia.