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Wikipedia is generally not considered a good source by schools. The reason for this is that anyone can edit it; you have no idea of the credentials of the person creating the content. Although someone posting on the article on parthenogenesis or the Balfour Declaration could be a professor who has written several books on the subject, they could also be a 8 year old who has no real idea. Since the author of the content cannot be checked for their authority, most schools prefer that you do not cite Wikipedia as a source. Even though any facts on Wikipedia must themselves be cited, there can still be issues with this process. Citations can be incorrect or missing, meaning that the information they support may or may not be accurate; you have no way of finding out.

Also, Wikipedia is not considered an academic source and is not peer reviewed. This means that, in addition to being unable to determine the authenticity of the source, the content has not undergone a strict process of evaluation by experts in the field. It is therefore not considered an appropriate source for an academic paper or project.

That being said, many professors will recommend Wikipedia as a place to start research. It can be a good place to get general ideas for papers, speeches, and projects. The vast majority of information on Wikipedia is correct, but, since it cannot be taken for granted that it is authentic, once you begin to do more in depth research you should switch to better, more academic sources.

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Q: If Wikipedia is considered a good source why do schools ban it?
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Is Wikipedia a good source in schools?

Well this is just my opinion: No because most of the statements on wikipedia are inaccurate because they are other peoples opinions on facts.. That's all wiki answers is too so they are closely related..


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