Studio Blog

According to a Wikipedia entry, the actor-comedian Sinbad is dead. If you’re tuned into any of the entertainment news sources, you’d know that this is bogus. Sinbad is alive and well. But in March 2007, his Wikipedia entry falsely stated that he had died of a heart attack, and the rumor mill was spinning. Fortunately, the error was caught early on, and the article has since been revised.

So why do we bring this up, you ask? Lately, we’ve been noticing writers referencing Wikipedia in the Resources section, and we thought we’d take a moment or two to address this.

Wikipedia’s articles are written by anyone in the public. That’s right: Any John Doe can write an informational article and cite it as fact. What’s more is that anyone can edit the articles. There are no regulations as to who can write for Wikipedia, and often, the information you read has not been fact-checked.

In fact, Wikipedia itself states, “Critics of Wikipedia target its systematic bias and inconsistencies and its policy of favoring consensus over credentials in its editorial process. Wikipedia’s reliability and accuracy are also an issue.”

So fellow sleuths, here’s a word to the wise: Don’t cite Wikipedia as a source for your articles. If you do find information on Wikipedia during your research, be sure to confirm that information with at least one other reliable source, preferably more. And when you reference that information in your article, cite the other source. Do not cite Wikipedia.

What are some reliable sources? Any Web sites that end in .gov, .edu and .org are generally trustworthy (read: generally). Of course, books and scholarly materials, such as academic journals and studies, are always acceptable.

Happy Hunting, Jennifer