Answered By Library Staff
Last Updated: Jul 18, 2023     Views: 179

Actually, Wikipedia can be an important tool for your research if you know how to check for credibility and understand how Wikipedia works. When instructors tell you not to use it, they usually mean not to cite from Wikipedia. This is because Wikipedia is a collaborative effort with information that is not stagnant. The information you might potentially quote from can change after the time of your use, risking your own credibility.

However, this doesn't mean you can't use Wikipedia to get search term ideas and resources. Check the footnotes to see where a Wikipedia article got its information and use that source instead. Pay attention to article sections "References" and "See Also" for good leads on sources you might be able to use. Likewise, if a Wikipedia article doesn't have these sections or doesn't have good sources, it's probably better to look elsewhere!

Please see the links and videos below to learn more about how to use Wikipedia for research: