Wikipedia has information on almost any topic. It’s easy and fast to use. For the most part, the information is quite current. Some entries are updated almost every day (some entries even more frequently).
Many instructors in college will discourage using Wikipedia. However, many of us still use Wikipedia. The key to Wikipedia is just knowing how to use it
Wikipedia is a great place to find trivia information. Want a summary of a movie or a list of all of the episodes of “How I Met Your Mother”? Do you want a roster of the Yankees?
Are there ways that you can use Wikipedia for real college research? ABSOLUTELY!! You just have to know how.
Wikipedia can sometimes be a great starting place if you know nothing about a topic. It’s great if you just need a general idea of a topic to help you figure out the discipline of an unfamiliar topic—scientific, historical, literary, etc. It can also help determine a time frame of a topic. Wikipedia can provide up with relevant language and terminology to help you brainstorm terms associated with your topic so you can begin your research.
Of course, it’s probably a good idea to look up the same topic in a more reliable encyclopedia or reference source. Most libraries have a large collection of general and subject-specific encyclopedias. Ask a librarian if you need help locating an encyclopedia to begin your search.
Once you have established what your topic is about, there are other useful parts of a Wikipedia entry that may be helpful.
Should you use Wikipedia for academic use? Depends.
Another way to really use Wikipedia is to look at the “See Also” located at the bottom of most entries. These terms link to other Wikipedia entries, but the usefulness of this section is that it provides you with other useful terms or synonyms on the topic that you are researching.
The “Notes and references” section provides footnotes to information cited within the Wikipedia entry. This section provides a useful research tool. Use the notes and references and try to locate these sources. Although Wikipedia article authors are anonymous, there is nothing to stop you from locating and retrieving the sources used within the entry. Use your library’s catalog or Google books to locate books. Check your library’s databases or Google scholar to locate articles. However, you must remember to evaluate any sources located in the Wikipedia entry. Remember to apply the CRAPP test (Currency-Relevance-Authority-Point of View-Purpose) to all sources located.
The External Links is a bulleted list of relevant web sites with a short description. If you decide to use any of these external links remember to apply the CRAPP test (Currency-Relevance-Authority-Point of View-Purpose) to all sources located.
At the very top of the entry, you will find the Contents. The Contents may help you to create an outline of your topic which may help you organize your research. See the example below. The Wikipedia entry is “Social Media.”
The Bibliography or Further Reading section is usually a bulleted list, usually alphabetized, of publications that would help interested readers learn more about the article subject. Editors may include brief annotations. Publications listed in this section are cited in the same citation style used by the rest of the article. This section is not intended as a repository for general references that were used to create the article content. This section provides another useful research tool. Locate and evaluate some of the sources listed in this section. (Remember to apply the CRAPP test (Currency-Relevance-Authority-Point of View-Purpose) to all sources located.)
