Monday, January 7, 2013

Wikipedia is NOT a Reliable Source

Nowadays, many people automatically go to Wikipedia when they are looking for information on a topic. There is nothing wrong with that. However, you CANNOT use Wikipedia as a reliable source of information on a research paper. Why is this? Why is Wikipedia so hated by academia?

Wikipedia can be useful. I have used it; you have used it; my own professors used it. It can be fun to just peruse the articles and just learn something new. But the truth is that Wikipedia is an unreliable source for academic research! Why is Wikipedia unreliable? Well, you tell me. (Hey, I’m not going to give you all the answers!) Please visit the “About Wikipedia” link below and pay special attention to the sections “Using Wikipedia as a Research Tool” and “Strengths, Weaknesses, and Article Quality in Wikipedia.” Tell me why it is not wise to use Wikipedia as a source for a research paper.

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