Many students are familiar with the website Wikipedia. When Googling a topic, Wikipedia is often one of the first sites to pop up. Many teachers/professors often say that Wikipedia should be avoided at all costs. This is not necessarily true. While Wikipedia should not be the only source used, it can often be a great starting point for further understanding or researching a particular topic or subject. Here are some dos and don’ts of using Wikipedia.
1. How does Wikipedia Work?
To use Wikipedia, you should first understand how Wikipedia works. Basically, anyone from anywhere can create and/or edit content. All one needs is to do is create an account. The fact that anyone can write about anything, and pose as a credible authority on any given topic is exactly the reason why many are skeptical about Wikipedia content. However, the magic of the internet is that it’s immediate and so, when someone posts incorrect or grossly biased information on Wikipedia, someone else almost as quickly corrects it. For example, if a user deliberately posts false information, another user will almost just as quickly make a counter entry. Wikipedia does have its positive and negative aspects.
2. Getting fast answers
Wikipedia is a great starting point for many papers and projects as well as for getting an overview on relatively simple questions. Say you are reading a book and it mentions, for example, the battle of Iwo Jima. If you are curious about this subject, you can get a quick basic overview of the event from Wikipedia. This will help you better understand the context of what you’ve read. However, if you are writing a paper on that subject, you should find another, more credible source.
3. Getting credible answers
Because any one can contribute to Wikipedia, the most important point about using the information is to make sure that you always, ALWAYS double check with another source. The Discussions tab at the top of an article will provide insight from Wiki editors and others as to whether an entry is biased, opinionated, inaccurate or misleading.
4. The truth and nothing but the truth
Articles that don’t use citations are red flags regarding their truth and validity. If there’s no citation, typically, Wikipedia indicates this with “citation needed” at the end of a particular declaration. If information is not cited, don’t use it. The end of every Wikipedia article cites References and External links. These will give you an idea of quality of sources that have contributed to the story.
5. Give credit where credit is due
It’s probably not a good idea to cite Wikipedia as a source on your paper or project. Better that you click through to the References and External links for source material, as these are probably the primary sources anyway.
Although Wikipedia is a great research tool and starting point, it should not be used as a primary or only source. Wikipedia has both and equally strong and negative attributes, including, content bias, credibility, accuracy, error and omission. Always double check statements with the References and Citations at the end of a story. Follow the rules of sound and critical judgment and Wikipedia can be an invaluable source. More information and advice about using Wikipedia can be read on Wikipedia itself by following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia.
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