Why can't I use Wikipedia as a source?

Wikipedia is not considered scholarly. Wikipedia acknowledges that its information is not properly vetted. The site has included hoaxes. People have created and edited pages to drive traffic to other websites.

Why can't Wikipedia be used as a source?

Wikipedia is not a reliable source for citations elsewhere on Wikipedia. As a user-generated source, it can be edited by anyone at any time, and any information it contains at a particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or simply incorrect.

Is it okay to cite Wikipedia as a source?

We advise special caution when using Wikipedia as a source for research projects. Normal academic usage of Wikipedia is for getting the general facts of a problem and to gather keywords, references and bibliographical pointers, but not as a source in itself. Remember that Wikipedia is a wiki.

Why do people not like Wikipedia as a source?

Critics have questioned its factual reliability, the readability and organization of its articles, the lack of methodical fact-checking, and its political bias.

Why does Wikipedia not allow primary sources?

Policy: Unless restricted by another policy, Primary sources that have been reputably published may be used in Wikipedia, but only with care, because it is easy to misuse them. Any interpretation of primary source material requires a reliable secondary source for that interpretation.

Wikipedia's Bias

Why Wikipedia tells you not to use Wikipedia as an academic source?

Nevertheless, when you're doing academic research, you should be extremely cautious about using Wikipedia. As its own disclaimer states, information on Wikipedia is contributed by anyone who wants to post material, and the expertise of the posters is not taken into consideration.

Why is Wikipedia not a reliable source to use in a research paper?

Although Wikipedia is a good place to start your research, it is not a credible source you should cite in your research papers. Wikipedia allows all kinds of different users to edit, and it is not safe to assume that the facts presented there have been checked before publishing them.

What are two downsides to using Wikipedia?

What's better than Wikipedia?

Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Wikipedia has grown to overshadow the encyclopedia in the Age of the Internet, but Britannica is still one of the most highly respected reference materials available. Yes, Britannica is a reliable source, and is certainly more reliable than Wikipedia.

What is the most reliable source of information?

based on strong evidence.” Widely credible sources include: Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles and books. Trade or professional articles or books. Magazine articles, books and newspaper articles from well-established companies.

How reliable is Wikipedia 2023?

Is Wikipedia a Reliable Source? Wikipedia is on the first page of Google search results more than 50% of the time. Wikipedia articles have an accuracy rate of 80 percent compared with 95-96 percent accuracy of other sources. But anyone can edit Wikipedia, no expertise needed.

How do you Harvard reference a Wikipedia page?

Is a Wikipedia a primary source?

Wikipedia is a tertiary source. Many introductory undergraduate-level textbooks are regarded as tertiary sources because they sum up multiple secondary sources.

Can you use Wikipedia as a source in research?

Can I cite Wikipedia in my paper? Most academics agree that you shouldn't cite Wikipedia as a source in your academic writing, and universities often have rules against doing so. This is partly because of concerns about its reliability, and partly because it's a tertiary source.

Is Britannica considered a reliable source?

Trust Britannica Library as a reliable source with objective, fact-check, and unbiased content that is written by experts and vetted through rigorous editorial process. Take a look at our editorial process which serves as the backbone of our products, experiences, and content.

Is An Encyclopedia a reliable source?

Encyclopedias are considered a scholarly source because the content is almost always written by scholars on the subject. However, the entries are not written for other scholars but for a general audience. Entries are reviewed by an editorial board, but they are not “peer-reviewed”.

Is Wikipedia still a thing?

Wikipedia is the largest and most-read reference work in history. It consistently ranks as one of the 10 most popular websites in the world, and as of 2023 it is ranked the 6th most visited website on the Internet by Semrush.

Is Wikipedia bigger than Britannica?

The English Wikipedia alone has over 4.3 billion words, and has over 95 times as many words as the 120-volume English-language Encyclopædia Britannica (online), and more words than the enormous 119-volume Spanish-language Enciclopedia universal ilustrada europeo-americana.

Is Google better than Wikipedia?

It is not necessarily accurate to say that Wikipedia is more accurate than Google search results. Both sources can provide accurate information, but they serve different purposes and have different strengths and weaknesses.

Why do teachers professors warn you not to use Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a popular online encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone. Because of its open nature, many teachers and professors often warn students that it should never, under any circumstances, be used because it is “unreliable.” As with all things, the situation is much more nuanced than that.

What is a weakness of Wikipedia?

Wikipedia Weaknesses

Some wikipedia contributors have even faked their credentials! Entries may be disorganized, have duplications, and be inconsistent. Take a look at the long list of Wikipedia articles needing factual verification. Wikipedia itself makes no guarantee of validity!

What is one drawback to using wiki pages?

Disadvantages of Wikis

Wikis are not able to have very large or complex files uploaded. For example, the engineering team is not able to upload engineering specific software designs into the wiki. They are only able to prepare summaries of their findings or design changes.

Can Wikipedia be edited by anyone?

Wikipedia is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit nearly any page and improve articles immediately. You do not need to register to do this, and anyone who has edited is known as a Wikipedian or editor. Small edits add up, and every editor can be proud to have made Wikipedia better for all.

Who owns Wikipedia?

Who owns Wikipedia? Wikipedia's tech framework is supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, which also supports Wikipedia's sister projects, including Wiktionary, Wikibooks, and others, and owns all of their domain names. Previously, the site was hosted on the servers of Bomis, a company mostly owned by Jimmy Wales.

Who writes for Wikipedia?

Any contributor to this encyclopedia, unregistered and registered alike, is called a "Wikipedian", or, more formally, an "editor" of the encyclopedia. Almost all Wikipedians are volunteers.