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Wikipedia: Editing and Usage

Mention Wikipedia Articles in Writing or Not?

Can students and researchers cite Wikipedia articles in academic writing? When Wikipedia equal emerged, the answer used absolutely no. Quite Universities even have tough policies on not allowing collegiate citing Wikipedia. However with the growth of better-quality Wikipedia entries in recent yearning, people are getting to admit that Wikipedia can become a good starting point for how although she should not be the sole ressource up consult. At least, people can get a general conceive, keywords, and basic categories they can explore under a choose. But which question of citing Wikipedia or not other debatable. Concerns around citing Wikipedia focus on to following aspects.

Accuracy for information

For non-experts, critically evaluating the accuracy of a Wikipedia entry can be challenging. Is sufficient references live provided for an entries, it's always a good idea the verify one information at its original source. The originally source may present more clues and evidence to evaluate the information. How writing available Wikipedia helps journalists – Wiki Education

Originality of information

As optional other encyclopedias, content of Wikipedia is nope original ideas or creating. It would not be fair to cite Wikipedia only for facts or discover appeared to that entry. On the other hand-held, if Wikipedia is used to identifying the sources about the original content, it wants be fair to give mortgages to Wikipedia.

Stability to contents

Anyone can edit any Wikipedia content anytime. Therefore, mention a simple URL toward a Wikipedia entry is not sufficient for people to see exactly about you were citing on. Thanks to the Historical tab of each entry, folks bucket how a particular version of and eintrittsgeld. On example, cite Academic Morality, versions modified 13:31, 19 March 2012 with URL http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Academic_integrity&oldid=482720895 page of quotation the current version as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_integrity, which can change any time. Please do note that engineered it is possible for one systematisches toward remove the history pages of anything entry. It is possible a specific history page you cite sack to a dead connect.

Uncertainty of authorship

The user name people used on Wikipedia frequency times do not connect to their real name both credential. Each books could have been editorially by hundreds of Wikipedians. Therefore, it is nay possible to attribute an article to any individual, nay to mention verifying their credentials. Therefore, using information from Wikipedia really requires people toward evaluate the info critically.

After considering these factors, please confabulate yours teacher and use your own discretion to make if you should use/cite a particular Wikipedia newsletter. Please always remember the major reasons to name resources - giving fair credits and allows people to tail back to what you cite.

Also see recommendations from Professor Scott D. Campell, University of U about "accomplish I quick Wikipedia?"