I said it. I said those dreaded words (especially if you're a historian). Wikipedia is your best friend when it comes to research. In yesterday's post, I also said that "whoever says Wikipedia isn't your friend is wrong." I will explain why in this post.
Yes, Wikipedia isn't fully reliable as a source. There are certain points and facts that may be partially or completely wrong. However, as someone who's researching a topic for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to go beyond Wikipedia to find all the facts you can, and to make sure that your facts are correct.
Wikipedia is a great place to begin your research. This is why I say that Wikipedia is your best friend for research. However, you should not end your research with Wikipedia. And you definitely shouldn't cite Wikipedia or use it as a source.
If you're doing a research paper for a class, Wikipedia can be a great place to start off your research. Wikipedia will have a bunch of little details that you can look into further using databases.
Here are some FREE internet research bases that you can use to find sources that would be viable to cite in a research paper:
- Google NGram Viewer
- Google NGram one helps to find specific words in texts, and you can even narrow it down to texts published between a specific period in time
- Google Books
- Google Books is another great source, because you can find plenty of books on your topic. Occasionally, you may be able to get free versions depending on the copyright and publication year, but this way, you know what sources you can use for your research topic,
You can also check out the following link for more possible alternatives to Wikipedia: Six Free Wikipedia Alternatives - Free Online Encyclopedias. However, I do recommend treating these similar to Wikipedia. They should be the starting point of your research, not the end point.,
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