Is it possible to effectively use Wikipedia as a tool when conducting your research? Yes! Surely, you have been told by instructors at some point in your writing that Wikipedia is not an acceptable resource to be cited in your research assignment because ANYONE can add or edit the information there.

Would you let just anyone watch your cat?! Of course not because anyone who is trustworthy of watching my cat has already gone through an extensive background check and had at least 5 years of pet-sitting experience. So, naturally we can’t trust just anyone to guide us with the information we need for our research, but think of Wikipedia as the background check. Here are the rules:

Do:

  • Use the embedded links to gather background information and generate ideas for further research
  • Observe the bolded words, links, titles, and table of contents to learn new terminology associated with your topic so you can generate search terms in a credible academic library database or encyclopedia
  • Look at the bibliography entries used in the Wiki article. This could lead you to some further sources that might work for your topic
  • Read for a good understanding of your concept or topic

Don’t:

  • Cite Wikipedia as a credible source used in your research
  • Assume the article has no bias, opinion, or has been fact checked…because it hasn’t!
  • Use Wikipedia as a reliable information database

It might be convenient and easy to gather quick information on a topic, but don’t forget to treat Wikipedia like the process of hiring your next cat-sitter. If they are unreliable, opinionated, or sound too good to be true, then you might have to do some more digging.

meme-grumpycat