Editing Google Answers (section)

== Criticism ==
Some [[library|librarians]] have criticized Google Answers as a service selling services that are part of the tasks of public librarians (in the [[United States]]).  The most vocal of these critics was former Google Answers Researcher [[Jessamyn West (librarian)|Jessamyn West]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/oct02/west.htm |title=Information for Sale: My Experience With Google Answers |publisher=infotoday.com |access-date=2006-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408183844/http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/oct02/west.htm |archive-date=2011-04-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> whose contract was terminated after she violated the site's terms of service by publishing an article about her experience as a Google Answers Researcher.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infotoday.com/SEARCHER/jan03/west.shtml |title=Google Answers Back Or How to Become an Ex-"Google Answers" Researcher |publisher=infotoday.com |access-date=2006-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229050008/http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jan03/west.shtml |archive-date=2010-12-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other reference librarians claimed that the service was not detrimental to libraries, but simply operated in parallel to them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=329159 |title=Google Answers: How does Google affect reference librarians? |access-date=2006-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018085204/http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=329159 |archive-date=2011-10-18 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other critics claimed that the service encourages [[plagiarism]]. The official Google Answers policy was to remove questions that appeared to be school assignments. However, some journalists expressed concerns that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a "legitimate" question and a homework assignment, especially in regard to sciences and programming.