Is Wikipedia a good source for research papers?

Wikipedia – Academic Use Wikipedia is not considered a credible source. However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable, because Wikipedia is not considered a credible or authoritative source.

What is considered an academic source for research papers?

Academic sources, also called scholarly sources, are sources which can include books, academic journal articles, and published expert reports. The content in academic sources has usually been peer-reviewed, which means that it’s been reviewed by experts on its topic for accuracy and quality before being published.

How can Wikipedia be used as a research tool?

Wikipedia projects are a great tool when using Wikipedia for research. Projects are made up of editors who join the project for the purpose of editing articles on a specific topic. There are Wiki-projects for music, cities, science, health, and just about every other topic you can think of.

Should students use Wikipedia for research?

Students should understand that Wikipedia is a starting point. While they should never cite or rely on the website, the information found there can direct them to more reliable sources. The online encyclopedia gives helpful advice on how to use the site.

Should I use Wikipedia as a source?

Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any time. This means that any information it contains at any particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or just plain wrong. However, because Wikipedia is a volunteer-run project, it cannot monitor every contribution all the time. …

Is it bad to cite Wikipedia?

The answer from Wikipedia is clear: at least in research projects, “you probably shouldn’t be citing Wikipedia”. Why’s that? Well, Wikipedia, like other encyclopedias and handbooks, is a tertiary source. Tertiary sources are those that take their information from other primary and secondary sources.

Why should students not use Wikipedia?

Many students simply copy text from Wikipedia in their assignments. It makes no sense: their reading and writing skills – and creativity – will never improve. It also makes them lazy. Since anyone can be an editor of Wikipedia’s references, often the accuracy of its information cannot be verified.

Should teachers allow students to use Wikipedia?

Students agree that Wikipedia may be the easiest to site to access information and it is especially helpful in history classes. Teachers should be able to allow students to use the site on a constant basis as the site is an amazing tool for students to quickly and easily gather information for a class.

Why is Wikipedia a good place to begin?

One great thing about Wikipedia that’s definitely relevant to academic research is the sources listed at the bottom of each article. These links can give you access to more generally trusted sources, like academic papers, magazine articles, and independent research on a topic.

Who is Wikipedia owned by?

Wikimedia Foundation

Is Wikipedia struggling financially?

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said Thursday that the free online encyclopedia is in good financial shape, although increasing mobile phone use may cut into future donations. “We are doing very well financially,” Wales told AFP ahead of Vivatech, a Paris tech fair for start-up companies.