Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the world's largest encyclopedia, Wikipedia's coverage is vast. It can be useful, but it's important to remember that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone in the world, and some articles are more reliable and accurate than others. As with any source you use, it's important to verify the information you find.
Strengths of Wikipedia
- Wikipedia is updated frequently. New information can be, and often is, added to the site within minutes. Due to editorial limitations, scholarly encyclopedias are usually updated annually.
- Because Wikipedia crowd sourced, there is the potential for a broader authorship than is found in academic publications.
- Citations in Wikipedia offer a wider array of materials, including articles and resources that are available for free and online.
Weaknesses of Wikipedia
- Editors on Wikipedia are not necessarily experts. Authorship on Wikipedia is often anonymous or obscured.
- Articles are always changing, making them difficult to cite in your research. An article you read today, may look quite different tomorrow.
- Articles can be vandalized, providing wildly inaccurate information.
Ways to use Wikipedia
Suze Meyers, Feminist Wikipedia, 2016.