i have to write an essay analyzing a poem by robert frost. is it ok to use wikipedia to get some of his background too provide a insight into my analysis? im sure i can find the info other places but it's so easy using wiki and the analysis is the important part not the facts about his life which plays a minor role in the paper
Nope. College papers generally require a reliable source. Peer reviewed articles/sources are really the only thing you can use. Wikipedia is good to get a general background, but you will have to find legitimate sources to back up any knowledge from there.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:25 am
It's upto you - I wouldn't though as anyone can edit it at their own free will…
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:25 am
NEVER EVER EVER use wikipedia as a source for an essay. Trust me it looks horrible when you use it as your work cited. It's great place to start intially but you definiatly want to back up what you read there with concrete sources.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Generally it's preferable if you can cite something other than Wikipedia (at least for anything really important), but Wikipedia is commonly used for background and to get sources for other material. If it's the last minute it's better than nothing.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:42 am
If you don't plan on citing it and only using it for looking up general stuff about Robert Frost's life, I guess it's okay.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:52 am
You probably wouldn't get penalized for it, but in my opinion it doesn't look good at all. When I read papers that cite Wikipedia I'm inclined to think it looks lazy and unprofessional. I would advise you to get information from a more reputable source, if at all possible.
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April 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Nope. College papers generally require a reliable source. Peer reviewed articles/sources are really the only thing you can use. Wikipedia is good to get a general background, but you will have to find legitimate sources to back up any knowledge from there.
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5 years undergrad, 1 year grad