Wikipedia Credibility

When I first discovered Wikipedia I thought it was great. I used it often and believed that it was a very reliable resource. Then my college professors informed me that Wikipedia was not a credible source and would not be accepted as a reference in papers. I was unaware that the content that I found could have been posted by any person, they didn't need to have any background experience on the subject they wrote about. I now try to stay away from Wikipedia but I have to admit I still sometimes refer to it for a quick guide or brush-up on certain material.

After being told about the credibility of Wikipedia, I try to use websites where the authors have a great deal of experience with the subject. I also look for articles that have been peer-reviewed. Another way to find more reputable sites is to use Google scholar where you will find numerous peer-reviewed articles and sites that are highly credible.

When I begin teaching I don't think I will let my students use Wikipedia. They need to be able to find the high quality websites and not rely solely on Wikipedia. If they use Wikipedia for information then they will need to find another resource that backs up the information they found. I really want my students to be able to recognize a good source from a bad source, this will help them so much when they are in college and will need to find these reliable sources.

I don't want my kids to only use the Internet to find all their research. I think being able to navigate your way around the library is just as important. If they have a research paper assignment then they will have to include peer-reviewed articles and at least one source that does not come from the Internet. I want them to be well-rounded researchers.