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Long Descriptions of images in guides

Using Wikipedia

Using Wikipedia for Research

DO

Find Background Information - Entries and embedded links can be used to generate ideas and learn the terminology associated with your topic.

Generate Search Terms - Take a look at the embedded links, bolded words, or table of contents. They can help generate search terms and keywords to use for searching in library databases.

Look at the Bibliography - The bottom of the page should list the sources used to compile the entry. They can point you to other resources (sometimes scholarly) on the topic.

DO NOT

Cite to Wikipedia - In academic research, you usually never cite to an encyclopedia or other sources of background information.

Believe Everything - Because the content is user-created, anonymous, and does not have a mandatory review process, there is no guarantee that the information is accurate and credible.