Library:Library Research Skills For Biologists/Module 03A/Page 05

From UBC Wiki

ARCHIVE PAGE: Aug 2015


What about Wikipedia?


Wikipedia is considered a reference source. The title itself describes what it is - an encyclopedia created by wiki - which means the content can be authored by anyone. The power of wikis is in the ability for anyone to add and edit the content, but this also means that content found in this source can be modified at any time.

Because of this, Wikipedia can serve as a good source of vocabulary and references to more academic information. Since the content you see can be changed at any time, it is ideal to use Wikipedia to find other sources, rather than relying on it as the definitive source for your academic paper. In addition, remember to evaluate any source you find from Wikipedia, just as you would if you found it any other way.

For strategies on how to evaluate content, see the guide Evaluating Information Sources