Wikipedia isn't ALL bad. It can be a good place to start your research and get a general overview of your topic before diving into further research. Here are some Wikipedia DO's and DON'T'S.
DO...
- use Wikipedia to become familiar with a topic or as a starting point for research
- use Wikipedia to find more search terms or keywords for your research topic
- maintain a level of skepticism when reading Wikipedia articles
- use the external links and references at the end of the articles to find more reliable sources
- check the reliability of the sources of the article you are reading
DON'T...
- cite Wikipedia articles in your bibliography for assignments or papers
- treat information on Wikipedia as 100% accurate, especially when concerning legal or medical advice
- assume the author/editor of a Wikipedia page is an expert; anyone can contribute to/edit a Wikipedia page
