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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 guide will help answer any questions students may have about Wikipedia entries and why its entries cannot be used as a source for scholarly research. This guide features screenshots of Wikipedia entries, and it is up to you to decide if the entries are factual, credible, and free from bias. 

In this guide, we will begin with some simple examples, then get tougher on each successive page. These brief exercises are ideal for working on critical thinking skills. 

Reference and Circulation Librarian

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John Santana
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