Citing Wikipedia: yes, or no?
You might be surprised to discover that Wikipedia is not always accurate -- then again, many scholars know this inherently. Take a look at the following articles:
Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation
Reconsidering Authority in a Wikipedia World
Wikipedia: Black and white and wrong all over
There are a number of websites detailing not only Wikipedia inaccuracies, but also entries unethically enhanced by companies/individuals to improve their own stature or disseminate information of questionable integrity (Diebold, Microsoft, Fox News, Church of Scientology...the list isn't short) In 2007, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article detailing altered, inaccurate information on some colleges, including:
"Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium … has a seating capacity of about 93,000."
Changed:
"Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium … is made completely out of goat cheese."
And for the SUNY Buffalo college campus entry, someone added:
"The former wife of OJ Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, along with OJ's Heisman Trophy are buried in the Elicott Dorm Complex."
Wikimedia isn't without its hardships either, as some artists have claimed theft/copyright violation, while other images may appear to be free of copyright restriction, but aren't; fair use doesn't always apply, even in education.
The answer? Students can consult Wikipedia (and Wikimedia) for possible leads on information sources, but should not be using information from/citing the open encyclopedia in papers, theses or dissertations. Currently, it's considered bad scholarship, especially at the graduate level.
