Question

Why can't I quote a Wikipedia article in my paper?

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Answered By: Trustee Library
Last Updated: Dec 12, 2016     Views: 132

The main reason that you shouldn't quote Wikipedia:  Wikipedia says so itself. 

"It is in the nature of an ever-changing work like Wikipedia that, while some articles are of the highest quality of scholarship, others are admittedly complete rubbish. We are fully aware of this. We work hard to keep the ratio of the greatest to the worst as high as possible, of course, and to find helpful ways to tell you in what state an article currently is. Even at its best, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, with all the limitations that entails. It is not a primary source. We ask you not to criticize Wikipedia indiscriminately for its content model but to use it with an informed understanding of what it is and what it isn't. Also, because some articles may contain errors, please do not use Wikipedia to make critical decisions.

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