The usefulness of Wikipedia is a polarizing topic, as some people hate it and others love it. I’m not about to start a debate on this subject, as the answer is subjective. What I will talk about however, is how to use it to your benefit.
How NOT to use Wikipedia
How many times have you heard of someone doing the following: the person has a history/math/English/whatever paper due. They log on to Wikipedia, copy the text on their topic, and paste it in their paper. Next, they add a reference and turn it in. A week later they get the paper back with an “F” on the front of it. Under the “F” is written, “Wikipedia is NOT a source!”
When they decided to use Wikipedia as an end-all, be-all source, they made a drastic mistake. Wikipedia is definitely not that.
How to use Wikipedia
The two key ways to use Wikipedia intelligently are:
- General information gathering. You have a question on a topic? Use Wikipedia for a general understanding. Example: you’re searching the web and have a question on carbohydrates. Use Wikipedia to improve your general idea of what carbohydrates are.
- Starting point for research. You’ve already used Wikipedia for help on general information, now use it as a starting point for research. Example: you again have a question on carbohydrates, so you go to Wikipedia to improve your understanding. Next, you check out the references at the bottom of the article. These references are where you find your quality information. These are the sources you use (as long as they are credible, more on that later). Wikipedia is not credible, but the CDC.gov website is.
In closing…
Many people use Wikipedia the wrong way. Use Wikipedia intelligently by using it for general knowledge and/or as a starting point for research. By doing this, you add another tool to your tool box.
