Q. Can I use Wikipedia as a source?

Wikipedia is a general information encyclopedia available for free on the internet. Its articles are written and edited by the public, not by experts or an editorial staff. Although it is very popular, Wikipedia should not be used as a source supporting an academic research paper.

The main reason Wikipedia is inappropriate for academic work is that the articles are not written by authoritative sources, and cannot lend credibility to your research paper. Even Wikipedia acknowledges that their articles are not considered credible, and should not be cited in academic work. For scholarly work, it is best to cite sources written by people who are authorities on a topic.