People in college: Do your professors allow you to use Wikipedia?

Question

I've heard that some uber-strict profs don't even allow their students to look at wikipedia. (How you'd enforce that, I don't know)

we're never allowed to credit it in papers, and with good reason. however, most of my profs don't see anything wrong with it for a basic "jumping off point" for research.

Answer 1

This will vary by college/university. The professors at my school do not allow any Wikipedia citation and with good reason. I could go alter the definition of "String Theory" right now. How is that a credible source?

Peer reviewed sources are generally what is required by a good university. I would never try and use Wikipedia...mainly because I've read a lot of erroneous information on there! You don't want to get a bad grade because of some guy you've never met put up some half-baked definition on a public-access website, do you?

Answer 2

There are no exact guidelines when it comes to Wikepedia. However, there are exact guidelines when it comes to Plagiarism, an academic offense which can get one expelled from ANY institution. Most professors, as in my experience to date, do not credit the Internet, or any of its derivatives as a scholarly source.

Answer 3

Honestly, the thought never occured. Encyclopedias of any kind contain common knowledge and should not be used at any point during a research paper.

Answer 4

As long as it's not an english class they don't care. In fact, I brought up the site to one of my computer theory (history of computers, how boring) classes and now that's all he uses.

Answer 5

Not as a source. It isn't edited and peer reviewed on an academic level.

Answer 6

my professors don't give a damn where i get my information, as long as it is correct.

Answer 7

That would be stupid.