HIS 3260 - History of East Asia

Author

• Who sponsors (or authors) the site? Is there a different homepage?

Purpose

• What is the purpose of this site? Informational, educational, commercial?

Date

• When was this site created or revised or updated? Is it current?

Sources

• Where does the information come from? Are they accurate? Did statistical data identify origins?

Reliability

• Was the site reliable?  Would you use it for research?

  • If no, what is suspect about this site?

  • If yes, what made you believe it was credible?

Academic use of Wikipedia

Do you think Wikipedia is an acceptable source for an academic paper?

Probably not an acceptable source but it can have a place in research.

Summary: Wikipedia isn't a great source to use in your paper but it can be a good place to gather background information, generate search terms, and look at the bibliographies to gather sources for your paper (if they are reliable).