Wikipedia and social sciences: free access to knowledge in specialized fields

Wikipedia, the online free encyclopedia, is an example of massive collaboration among peers globally. It was created in 2001 and deployed to date incorporating many projects and idiomatic editions. The article focuses on the production of knowledge in social sciences, analyzing the case of the sociology area of the Spanish edition. From there, it delves into the evolution of its articles and some of its main community dynamics, including: creation of a portal and sociology wikiproject; volume, editors and editions growth; regional coverage and controversies regarding content. Methodologically, it is based on aggregate data analysis in a context of virtual ethnographic research. The inquiry takes up considerations about the principles and rules that guide the operation of the platform, as well as efforts of understanding from the social sciences, in connection with recent initiatives of articulation with academic communities. Results allow to weigh potentials of emerging models of production, dissemination and use of knowledge, as well as their contributions towards an expansion of audiences.