Every school has policies that students must abide or risk facing disciplinary actions and, for some schools, one of those policies is that students are not allowed to use Wikipedia, the crowd-sourced, online encyclopedia, for academic research. But what happens when a student is unaware of this policy or when a well-meaning student makes an innocent mistake but is held accountable for violating this policy?

Why Academics Dislike Wikipedia

Since Wikipedia's founding in 2001, educators have bemoaned it as an academic source. Unlike traditional encyclopedias, Wikipedia is contributed to and edited by the public. Anyone can anonymously add to and edit existing entries and there is no hierarchy of expertise. Educators say this makes Wikipedia unreliable and unacceptable as a source for academic papers and projects.

Educators frequently object to Wikipedia because of its shortcomings in two main areas: Reliability and credibility and the evolving nature of information.

Reliability and Credibility

The greatest strength of Wikipedia is that provides users with a tremendous amount of information on a wide variety of topics instantly and for free. Wikipedia is able to do this because its content is created and edited by uncompensated volunteers. However, this also makes Wikipedia vulnerable to sharing inaccurate and biased information.

The Evolving Nature of Information

Unlike traditional encyclopedias and other books, Wikipedia is a dynamic platform where articles are subject to constant edits and updates. While Wikipedia fans would likely argue that this makes it more relevant and more accurate, by the time a paper is graded or published, the information the student cited from Wikipedia may have changed on the site. This makes it very difficult to maintain the integrity of the research.

Some Educators Embrace Wikipedia

However, not all educators are opposed to Wikipedia. Some have even assigned students to edit Wikipedia entries. As of last fall, more than 6,000 students were enrolled in more than 360 university-level classes devoted to editing Wikipedia.

What To Do if You're in Trouble

Early in Wikipedia's existence, a rash of college, universities, secondary, and primary schools passed rules banning Wikipedia as a cited source. However, many of these schools did not specify what punishments a student could receive for getting caught violating this rule. Students have had their grades lowered, received a failing grade, and even been expelled or disciplined in other ways for violating their school's ban on Wikipedia.

If you find yourself in trouble for relying on Wikipedia as an academic source, it's important that you understand your institution's rules regarding using Wikipedia and that you get advice and help from someone with experience handling student discipline issues.

While Wikipedia can be a valuable tool in the beginning stages of research, many schools still have policies that prevent students from citing Wikipedia as a source. The legal team at the Lento Law Firm can help you understand your school's policy and determine the best way forward for you to get your academic career back on track. Call us at 888-535-3686 or contact us online today.