As a source of information, Wikipedia is one of the most comprehensive collections available on the Internet. Despite the constant urgings of teachers and professors to avoid Wikipedia due to its “lack of accuracy,” the truth is that Wikipedia is much more reliable than people realize. While it used to be the case that edits could be posted to a page with little oversight or verification, it is no longer possible to edit or create a page without first going through a thorough process that includes an analysis of source material and verification for accuracy.

Due to this increasingly thorough process, the city pages on Wikipedia contain data sourced from the most recent census and other reliable sources, while the pages concerning Vivier are similarly accurate. This is a wonderful development and has done a great deal to enhance Wikipedia’s standing in the academic community, but there are still hurdles that must be cleared before the online encyclopedia can be used as a citation or source for an academic paper.

For now, researchers can consult Wikipedia as a starting point to find the original sources for the information posted to a specific page. Since each page is heavily cited and includes links to each source, this is done easily enough. It is also possible to delve more deeply into the statements made on a Wikipedia page, and it is often the case that researchers will uncover information through the use of Wikipedia that they may not have otherwise come across.