I am a retired computer nerd with too many books and too much time. If I step on toes, sorry, I mean well.
As Wikipedia has become a major source of information I try very hard to thoroughly research subjects before editing. I try when ever to use non-web sources as web citations have a very high chance of going 404 within a few years. Books and magazines I cite are in my library. I am a member of the American Aviation Historical Society, the Aircraft Engine Historical Society, the Air Force Historical Foundation, and have subscribed to Aviation Week and Space Technology for many decades and have read it for many more. I have access to their archives. I have collected books on aviation and space since the late 1950s.
Wen I edit I am careful to cite my sources. I believe a Wikipedia article should satisfy the casual reader and provide a research roadmap for a serious reader.
I try whenever to verify my sources by comparing them with other sources, a practice which often reveals how pathetic many web sites are.
Many Wikipedia articles are well researched and written. Some are shallow and shoddily researched, a few are utter twaddle. Thus I try to expand, remediate, or replace respectively. (citation needed) is like a red cape before a bull when I encounter it.
I always endeavor to enter my reasons for an edit in talk.
I am well past the age for riding hobby horses.
I have given some comment [Amelia Earhart , discussion] concerning your contribution [Sept.2007]to the development of the the Amelia Earhart Wiki article. Desertfax (talk) 13:02, 8 October 2008 (UTC)desertfax
Amelia Erhart is a fine example of what is worst about the Wikipedia system as it applies to a subject such as history. There is, (or was) a person who had influence amongst editors who is (or was) highly opinionated upon the subject of how and where Earhart's last flight ended. I have a large number of books upon the subject and may state I do not know exactly where and how she died. I do understand flying having soloed in 1967 in a Citabria. I understand the effects of headwinds and understand that much of what has been written on the subject of Amelia Earhart's last flight during the last 60 years is twaddle. The old sailor cautioned me well over 60 years ago "son never piss to the winard." Wikipedia, unlike other encyclopedias prohibits "original research." Given the nature of the Wikipedia this is understandable. I have recently been editing in the area of early American rockery. While working on the Aerobee article I had a choice of books to cite. Two are the work of Homer Newell. One published in 1961, Express to the Stars is a "popular" history concerning rocketry with an emphasis on sounding rockets. The other is Sounding Rockets which was published in 1959 and was edited by Dr. Newell. Which book do I favor to cite when editing a Wikipedia article? Sounding Rockets, as it is composed of articles written by persons expert in the subject upon which they write and edited by a like expert. Anyone searching a library for a book upon sounding rockets by Homer Newell would much more likely get a return on Express to the Stars than a copy of Sounding Rockets but in either case they will score a better volume to learn about the subject than they would turn up through a casual web search. A web search which would probably turn up as many 404s as viable pages. What does this matter? Perhaps it doesn't matter at all. Unless we are as a species condemned to eternally repeat ourselves we need to learn from history. So I find myself back in Historiography 401 working hard to present well documented material as devoid of emotion or opinion as possible while doing as much justice to the subject and participants as I may. The subject of a nuclear propelled low altitude cruise missile is a good example of the transience of wisdom. The case of the 9M730 Burevestnik, proves that nothing was learned from the experience of the Pluto Project in which serious men struggled epically in futility for many years. At least the men of Project Pluto had no prior experience to learn from and they did not kill some of themselves. See: Nyonoksa radiation accident and Project Pluto. Such is the experience of those who never learn from history.