Using Wikipedia for research

You’ve probably heard your professors tell you over and over not to use Wikipedia for research. But, it’s so convenient and has articles on so many topics, right? Just like any source, there are good ways to use Wikipedia and bad ways to use it.

When you’re first starting your research, Wikipedia is a great place to go to get a general idea about your topic. Many of the articles have loads of information about different aspects of their subject. Plus, the articles are supposed to cite their sources, and you can check the bibliography at the end to see if any of those sources would help you out.

When you’re in the middle of some class reading or research and you come across a term, a person, an event or something else that’s unfamiliar to you, Wikipedia is, like print encyclopedias, a good place to find straight-forward background information.

When is it a bad idea to use Wikipedia, then?

In nearly all circumstances, Wikipedia should not be used as part of your research for class. After you’ve gotten a handle on your topic, turn to books, scholarly peer-reviewed journals and other material that is written by experts and reviewed by other experts before publication. Those are the sources on which you should base your research.

In the case of controversial issues or very recent events, Wikipedia may also be less reliable. Wikipedia’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness; anyone with internet access can edit articles, and while that provides us with a vast amount of correct, factual information, it also means that opinions, biases, incorrect information and even lies can be easily inserted into an article.* Wikipedia tries to keep tabs on errors and vandalism, and will turn off editing if it happens frequently to one article, but their editors are volunteers and can only do so much.

*It’s true, too, that books and scholarly articles can have the same problem but the editorial and review process helps keep it to a minimum. A good dose of skepticism can help you identify the errors and biases in what you read and watch, and will help you produce higher quality research!