Lesson 263 of 1455
Wikipedia Is Your Friend (When You Use It Right)
Wikipedia gets a bad rap in school, but it's still one of the best places to start a research project. The trick is knowing how — not whether — to use it. But the rule is more nuanced than "never use it." Smart researchers — including AI researchers — start at Wikipedia and use it as a launchpad to better sources.
Builders · Research & Analysis · ~11 min read
Why teachers say "no Wikipedia"
Many teachers tell you not to cite Wikipedia. They're not wrong — Wikipedia articles can be edited by anyone, so the version you see today might be wrong tomorrow. But the rule is more nuanced than "never use it."
Smart researchers — including AI researchers — start at Wikipedia and use it as a launchpad to better sources. The key is what you do AFTER you read the article.
How to actually use Wikipedia for research
- 1Read the lead section to get the big picture
- 2Find 3-5 specific claims you might cite
- 3For each claim, click the small [1] [2] number next to it
- 4Read the actual cited source
- 5Cite the cited source in your paper, not Wikipedia
When Wikipedia is wrong
Articles about controversial people, recent events, or niche scientific topics are most likely to contain errors. Articles on settled topics (the Pythagorean theorem, the boiling point of water) are extremely reliable.
Key terms in this lesson
The big idea: Wikipedia is a great map of human knowledge. It's a starting point, not an ending point. Use it to find the real sources, then go read those.
End-of-lesson quiz
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