What about citing Wikipedia in a research paper?

 

There is an interesting debate regarding the use of Wikipedia in an academic setting. The short version: it is usually frowned upon unless your instructor allows it. The problem with Wikipedia as an academic tool is that anyone can add information to an entry. That means that someone, who is not an expert on a subject or does not have an academic degree in the field, can enter information into the entry.

 

Basically, sometimes the information is right, sometimes it isn't. However, if you need an ultimate authority on whether or not you should use it, you should listen to what Wikipedia says about the information on their site here. Notice the big, bold, capitalized letters!