Wikipedia has been a hotly debated topic when it comes to research. Some people (often students) don't see the problem with it and some people (often professors/educators) refuse to have anything to do with it. The subject really comes down to the vital need to apply strong critical thinking skills while using Wikipedia. Some time ago I created a short (~2 min) slideshow presentation that orients students and educators as to what Wikipedia really is and emphasizes the need to apply good critical thinking skills while using Wikipedia. As educators, I think you will find it useful in having a clear guide on how to evaluate information you yourself might find on Wikipedia. For students, it's really aimed at students who are at or above the level of having to find and use other references in their own research. At this level they will likely be turning to Wikipedia at some point or another in their research, so it is good for them to have the right frame of mind when using Wikipedia. --Dylan

1. Wikipedia
An Essential 2-Minute Guide
for Students and Educators
®

2. Wikipedia is
an awesome
source of information.
awesome: inspiring awe or wonder

3. Wikipedia is
a terrible
source of information.
terrible: exceptionally bad or displeasing

4. Awesome and terrible?
How can it be both?

5. A "wiki" is
a web site that
anyone can edit.
Really? Anyone?
Yes. Anyone.
Even that guy over there?
Yes, even that guy over there.

6. Wikipedia is
an encyclopedia that
anyone can edit.

7. Wikipedia is
awesome because
anyone in the world
can contribute their
knowledge.

8. Wikipedia is
terrible because
anyone in the world
can contribute their
knowledge.
Even that guy over there.

9. If anyone can edit
Wikipedia, there
will be errors.
Sometimes intentional,
sometimes accidental.

10. No matter the reason,
there will be errors.

11. At the same time,
since anyone can edit
Wikipedia, anyone can
correct the errors.

12. If errors get corrected,
what's the big deal
about anyone being able
to edit Wikipedia?
Wouldn't that be considered a good thing in the long run?

13. Consider this:
What if anyone could
edit CNN.com?

14. Would you still trust
information from
CNN.com?
Ask yourself why you might already trust them.

15. The trust in Wikipedia's
information comes from
citations.
citation: a short note recognizing the source of information

16. Wikipedia's Policy:
"If no reliable third-party
sources can be found for an
article topic, Wikipedia should
not have an article on it."
citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability

17. You can't trust
information if you don't
know where it came from.
And even then, you have to decide if you trust the source.

18. Good research is built on
a base of trustworthy
sources of information.

19. Referencing Wikipedia in
an essay or research paper
is saying, "I asked some
people on the Internet."

20. A lot of smart people on
the Internet contribute
knowledge to Wikipedia.

21. But they got
their information
from somewhere.
And it wasn't from Wikipedia.

22. Good Wikipedia
articles have citations.
Use them.

23. Go to the source.
See for yourself.
Decide for yourself.

24. In closing...

25. Understand what
Wikipedia is not.
It is not a publisher of
original thought
or research.
citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research

26. Understand what
Wikipedia is.
It is a powerful tool for
finding information.

27. Use it.
Edit it.
Contribute.
But don't forget to cite your sources.

28. Credits and Copyright Information
Wikipedia: An Essential 2-Minute
Guide for Students and Educators
Created by:
Dylan Bennett
Wikipedia®
is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.