What is Wikipedia, and should it be a credible source for academic references? Wikipedia is a multilingual, web based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly-editable model. Wiki is a Hawaiian word meaning “quick.” Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous internet users. Anyone with internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles. Wikipedia’s articles provide links to guide the user to related web pages with additional information.
Wikipedia and other sites called wikis are extremely controversial to cite or use as a reference in any school paper. Even the Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has discouraged college students from quoting or citing Wikipedia in academic papers. At the same time, Jimmy encourages younger school students to cite Wikipedia as a source. Jimmy has also said that the website ”lacks the authority to be used as a citeable source for college-aged and university students”
Almost every Wikipedia entry has external links in the references section and a lot of these links actually point to credible sources that you can safely cite in your academic work. There is also a controlled version of Wikipedia that teachers can setup. Wikispaces are a controlled environment that teachers can control the information students can access. Because of the collaborative nature of wikis teachers can lock specific sections so other members cannot modify. Although to control a wikispace you must purchase a membership.
Wikipedia is great for finding general knowledge or a basic explanation. Wikipedia helps explain and provide a simple explanation, since you usually have the average joe providing the information. If a deeper and a more scientific explanation is necessary Wikipedia provides links to other more official research sites that most likely are researching the topic you are investigating. Wikipedia is a great start to finding reliable information in the area you are researching.
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