Wikis can be a useful research tool. However, whether a specific wiki or specific wiki article should be used as a reference in an academic research paper depends on the wiki and/or article. Wikis provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to instruct students on how to evaluate internet material for validity (Murley, 2008). Wikipedia, for example, is meant to be an online encyclopedia. Encyclopedias are secondary sources and are not considered valid sources for an academic paper, but are considered to be useful starting points for research. I would not allow a student to cite Wikipedia as a source for a paper, but other wikis I might consider acceptable depending on their policies. If a wiki has a policy requiring sufficient source references and has a peer review process then it should be an acceptable source in most cases. In this age of digital resources, we have to adapt to new sources of information. This does not mean that we should lower our standards, but that we should find ways to apply those standards to new media.
Murley, D. (2008) In defense of Wikipedia. Law Library Journal, 100(3). Electronic copy available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1122602.
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