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Is this an accurate website: https://www.wikihow.com/Deal-With-Your-Parents%27-Divorce
Executive summary
WikiHow is a long-running how-to site that says it uses editorial oversight, expert partnerships and content managers to improve accuracy, and independent reviews find it useful for basic tasks; wikiHow itself states it partners with "2000+ experts" and Common Sense Media noted work with 1,000+ subject-matter experts [1] [2]. Independent reviews and guides conclude wikiHow can be helpful for everyday problems but caution quality varies and users should cross-check important advice [3] [4].
1. What the site itself claims about reliability
wikiHow publishes a page explaining its efforts to "Deliver a Trustworthy Experience," where the organization states it partners with over 2,000 experts and uses Content Managers to review expert advice and improve articles; that is the company’s principal explanation for why readers should trust its guidance [1].
2. Independent assessments: generally useful but variable
Third‑party reviews characterize wikiHow as broadly reliable for simple, everyday tasks while warning that quality varies and expert coverage is uneven; for example, a site review concluded wikiHow is "generally reliable for simple, everyday tasks" but recommended cross‑checking more specialized topics [3]. A wikiHow article on evaluating credibility also highlights common standards — peer review, references and institutional sources — which underscores that wikiHow’s own content should be held to similar checks when accuracy matters [4].
3. Historical and community context that matters
wikiHow began as a collaborative, wiki‑style project and remains a hybrid organization combining community edits with editorial oversight; a Wikipedia page on wikiHow notes changes in licensing and organizational choices over time, signaling the platform has evolved but retains a mix of volunteer and staff contributions that can produce uneven results across articles [5].
4. User sentiment and customer reviews are mixed and evolving
Public review platforms show positive user experiences but are limited in scope and time: Trustpilot listings include praise and high TrustScores from some users, but such reviews reflect end‑user satisfaction rather than systematic accuracy testing [6]. Available sources do not present a large, dated academic audit of wikiHow’s content accuracy across categories.
5. Expert vetting claims — what to trust and what to verify
wikiHow’s claim of working with thousands of experts [1] is corroborated by outsourced reviews like Common Sense Media, which reported the site works with subject‑matter experts and nonprofits to improve content [2]. Still, independent reviewers advise readers to treat wikiHow advice as a starting point: for medical, legal, or high‑stakes personal decisions, cross‑checking with primary sources or professionals remains necessary [3] [4].
6. Practical guidance for evaluating a specific article — e.g., "Deal With Your Parents' Divorce"
Available sources do not mention that specific article. To assess that page: (a) check whether the article lists expert review or references; (b) look for a last‑updated date and an author or content manager note; (c) corroborate emotional‑support or legal recommendations with mental‑health professionals, family‑law resources, or peer‑reviewed guidance as appropriate [4] [1]. If the article lacks expert attribution or cites only anecdote, treat it as general peer advice rather than professional counsel [4].
7. Competing perspectives and caveats
Pro‑wikiHow perspectives emphasize broad accessibility, step‑by‑step clarity and editorial processes with experts [1] [2]. Skeptical perspectives — echoed in independent reviews — stress variability in quality, the open‑editing history, and the need to cross‑check for specialized topics [3] [5]. Neither set of sources provides a comprehensive, quantitative accuracy audit of all wikiHow articles.
8. Bottom line for your original question — "Is this an accurate website?"
wikiHow is generally a useful, user‑friendly resource for practical, everyday how‑tos and says it uses substantial expert partnerships to boost accuracy [1] [2]. However, quality varies by article; independent reviewers advise cross‑checking critical or technical advice with specialist sources or professionals [3] [4]. The specific article you asked about is not analyzed in the available reporting, so evaluate that page by checking its citations, expert review status, and by verifying any legal or mental‑health guidance with authoritative sources (not found in current reporting; see [4]; [7]0).