However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable, because Wikipedia is not a reliable source . ... This is because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any moment. Although when an error is recognized, it is usually fixed.
Why is Wikipedia an unacceptable source?
Wikipedia is not a reliable source for citations elsewhere on Wikipedia. Because it can be edited by anyone at any time, any information it contains at a particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or just plain wrong. ... Therefore, Wikipedia should not be considered a definitive source in and of itself.
Why is Wikipedia not an acceptable source for an APA paper?
Wikipedia is a great source of information, you can cite the material from wikipedia after confirming it from actual reference or website. ... Not because Wikipedia is “less correct” than other sources (e.g. journal articles), but because it would not be considered valid for most journal editors.
Is it OK to cite Wikipedia?
Citation is not needed for fact-checking general knowledge. ... In any case, you should not cite Wikipedia itself , but the source provided; you should certainly look up the source yourself before citing it. If there is no source cited, consider a different method of obtaining this information.
How accurate is Wikipedia 2019?
They found that while Wikipedia articles were rated at 83.8 percent for completeness, the information published in the articles was 99.7 percent accurate .
Is it ever okay to cite Wikipedia as a reference in a paper?
Is it a good idea to cite Wikipedia in your research paper? Generally speaking, no. In fact, if you're writing a paper as a class assignment, your teacher may specifically prohibit citing Wikipedia . Scholarly papers should generally rely on peer-reviewed and other scholarly work vetted by experts in the field.
What is the most reliable source of information?
Academic journal articles are probably the most reliable source of current thinking in your field. To be the most reliable they need to be peer reviewed. This means that other academics have read them before publication and checked that they are making claims that are backed up by their evidence.
Can I use information from Wikipedia on my website?
If you want to use Wikipedia's text materials in your own books/articles/web sites or other publications, you can generally do so, but you must comply with one of the licenses that Wikipedia's text is licensed under . Many of the media files on Wikipedia are also reusable.
How often is Wikipedia wrong?
“The study did reveal inaccuracies in eight of the nine entries and exposed major flaws in at least two of the nine Wikipedia articles. Overall, Wikipedia's accuracy rate was 80 percent compared with 95-96 percent accuracy within the other sources.”
What is the reliable source?
A reliable source is one that provides a thorough, well-reasoned theory, argument, discussion, etc . based on strong evidence. Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or books -written by researchers for students and researchers. ... These sources may provide some of their articles online for free.
What is a credible source?
Credible sources are written by authors respected in their fields of study . Responsible, credible authors will cite their sources so that you can check the accuracy of and support for what they've written. (This is also a good way to find more sources for your own research.)
What percent of Wikipedia is accurate?
The paper found that Wikipedia's entries had an overall accuracy rate of 80 percent , whereas the other encyclopedias had an accuracy rate of 95 to 96 percent.
Is Wikipedia more accurate than Britannica?
They found that in general, Wikipedia articles were more biased—with 73 percent of them containing code words, compared to just 34 percent in Britannica. In almost all cases, Wikipedia was more left-leaning than Britannica . ... “We can only say [that] Wikipedia is more left,” says Zhu.
Why is Wikipedia shutting down?
On 16 January, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales announced that the English Wikipedia would shut down for 24 hours on 18 January as part of a protest meant to call public attention to the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, two anti-piracy laws under debate in the United States Congress.
Is Wikipedia a primary source?
Wikipedia, as an encyclopedia, is a tertiary source . However, Wikipedia and sources that mirror or source information from Wikipedia may not be used as secondary or tertiary sources. Wikipedia articles are sometimes used as primary sources in articles about Wikipedia.
How do you cite Wikipedia in APA 6th edition?
To put an in-text citation for Wikipedia in APA, you would use the following format: (“Title of article,” n.d.) An example would be: (“World War II,” n.d.)
