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Evaluating Wikipedia: Home

This interactive guide will help students evaluate Wikipedia entries for possible incorrect information, which will serve as examples as to why Wikipedia is not acceptable for college research.

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Introduction

It's so often repeated by teachers and professors that it has become a cliche: You cannot use Wikipedia as a source for a research project. But why? Wikipedia entries almost always appear first in a listing of Google search results. Doesn't that hold any weight? (The answer is no. Wikipedia just matches your term or terms.)

This tutorial will help answer any questions students may have about Wikipedia entries and why its entries cannot be used as a source for scholarly research. It features screenshots of actual Wikipedia entries, which students can decide if the entries are factual, credible, and free from bias. 

This tutorial begins with some simple examples, then gets tougher on each successive page. These brief exercises are ideal for working on critical thinking skills and can be used individually or in a classroom setting.