To Wikipedia and Beyond
by Kaitlyn Grube
As a writer, the first thing I do when I encounter a question is Google it.
Ninety percent of the time, this leads me straight to Wikipedia.
As an instructor of college composition, one of the first things I teach my first-year composition students is to stay away from Wikipedia, especially when it comes to their academic research.
The writer in me is thankful for the straightforward information I receive the moment I open a Wikipedia article. The instructor in me cringes. Every. Single. Time.
Wikipedia isn’t an academic publishing website. As such, there is no review process for the information being published. Experts in this area of study have not reviewed or approved this information.
Many articles and texts have been written about the dangers of trusting the information found on Wikipedia, including articles published by The Guardian and the New Literacy Project. In fact, Wikipedia itself warns users not to use it as an academic source, because anyone has the ability to edit articles at any point in time.
So, as writers, we shouldn’t go to Wikipedia for our research, right?
The answer is this: Wikipedia can be the start of your research. Your research just can’t end there.
The information provided on Wikipedia can be accurate, but there is no guarantee. Because anyone can edit the articles at any time, the contents are open to vandalism and opinion-based contents. There is no editing process for publication. In the age of fake news, it’s important that we, as researchers and writers, are aware of what our media is telling us. When doing research, one of the most important things is to make sure that the answers you are finding are supported by qualified professionals.
To find the answers we’re looking for, as writers, but also as curious human beings, we need to delve deeper.
And yet, delving deeper is often a scary prospect. If we can’t trust the Google search results, how do we find the information we’re looking for? Where do we start?
Start at Wikipedia.
In the case of Wikipedia, delving deeper means taking a look at the reference section.
Throughout any given Wikipedia article, there are little blue numbers posted next to various bits of information. These little blue numbers are links. If clicked on, the link takes you down to the reference section at the bottom of the Wikipedia article.
The reference section of a Wikipedia article is where contributors link the studies, articles, and other sources where they found the information they are stating. The linked numbers will connect to the source for that specific piece of information.
While there is no universal citation system in the reference sections of Wikipedia articles, the information gives you the starting point you need to continue your research on any given topic. Next, we’ll look at four quick tips for using the reference section in Wikipedia articles.
First, a couple of sample references:
1. ^ a b c Hatcher, Paul; Battey, Nick (2011). Biological Diversity: Exploiters and Exploited. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 88–89, 91. ISBN 978-0-470-97986-0.
2. ^ a b c Berche, P. (2012). "Louis Pasteur, from crystals of life to vaccination". Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 18 (s5): 1–6. doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03945.x. PMID 22882766.
Quick tips for using the reference section:
1. Blue hyperlinks will link to an outside source.
Example: Biological Diversity: Exploiters and Exploited
2. A doi (digital object identifier) is used for academic sources. This is a string of numbers, typically beginning with 10, that permanently identifies an academic article. These are often included in standard citation formats.
Example: doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03945.x
3. PMID numbers are identification numbers like doi that are specific to PubMed. PubMed articles are focused on biomedical and life science articles.
Example: PMID 22882766
4. Citations with multiple small letters of the alphabet at the beginning of the citation in a hyperlinked blue are sources that have been used multiple times throughout the Wikipedia article. Clicking these hyperlinked letters takes you to the instance of use in the article.
Example: ^ a b c
The easiest way to begin the research process is first to find the information you are looking for within the Wikipedia article.
If this information is followed by a bracketed, blue-hyperlinked number such as [1], click the number. This will take you down to a specific source in the Reference section, where the work begins. Below are five questions to ask yourself about the source:
· Is this source an academic source?
· Is this source a book or an article?
· Is there a link to the full book or article?
· Does this book or article pertain to the information I am looking for?
· How important is this information to the piece of writing I am working on?
If the source is academic, the best way to ensure accuracy is to doublecheck the article. If the article is published in an academic, peer-reviewed journal, the information is likely accurate within that field of study for the time period the article was published in.
A secondary tip is to check publication dates on any and all articles cited in the Wikipedia Reference section. The academic world is cutthroat and always evolving. Unless the work you’re doing is period-based, it’s likely that articles written in the last five years will contain more accurate information on any given topic.
The big question on how to go about researching a topic is this: How important is this research to your project?
The answer will vary. But that will tell you just how in-depth your research should be.
No matter how important the information is, Wikipedia can be a great start to your research.
Just remember: Don’t end there.