UniPrep: How to Guides

Peer Reviewed, Refereed or Scholarly

• Articles published in refereed or peer-reviewd journals are subjected to a strict approval process.
• One or more experts on the subject act as referees who review the article before it is accepted for publication.
• This process is designed to ensure the article is accurate, well researched and contributes to the body on knowledge in a field.
• Peer-reviewed is synonymous with refereed.

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Retrieved from: https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/howscienceworks_16

Evidence-based

Credible information helps you check its findings, by providing the sources and references they use to make their argument. eg. look at the reference list in a credible journal article that you have found to find where they got their information

"Peer reviewed"

These works have been checked by experts in the field and are the best place to find credible, up-to-date research. Peer reviewed does NOT refer to book or ebooks.

Relevant

Finally, just because a source is credible, evidence-based and recent , make sure it is relevant to not only your topic, but also to the audience you are writing for (there's no point citing a high school text book for a university assignment!)

Wikipedia is a useful tool for surface level information. However when it comes to the search for reliable and credible information it falls short. Here are the key things that you need to know if you're considering using Wikipedia and the information that is found on it. 

What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is an online free encyclopedia. The key aim of Wikipedia is to create a collaborative collection of knowledge in which anyone in the world can contribute to and expand (Wikipedia, 2020d). The information presented in the articles of Wikipedia are recommended to be written from a neutral point-of-view with no original research (Wikipedia, 2020b). Edits in Wikipedia are generally requested to have verifiable sources cited for each one of the points presented (Wikipedia, 2020b, 2020c). 

Why is it NOT a reliable source?

A reliable source is one where you can verify where and who the information is coming from. We use the CRAAP test to assess for reliable sources. Here is Wikipedia if we apply the CRAAP test:

• Currency: When was the article published?

✅A lot of the articles are frequently updated and kept current.

• Relevancy: Does it relate to your topic?

✅Each page can be narrowly focused on its main topic it allows for the relevancy of the article to be easily matched to your assignment topic. 

• Authority: Is the author or publisher qualified to talk about the topic? 

❌Who the authors or editors of that particular entry is unknown. Authors and editors can remain anonymous when editing entries into Wikipedia (Wikipedia, 2020b). As a reader you cannot verify who the authorities are. 

❌The only influence that the publisher (Wikipedia) claims to have is a restriction on selected pages to the administrators only for the sake of preventing vandalism (Wikipedia, 2020e). They themselves are not an authority behind topics published on Wikipedia.

• Accuracy: Does the information have supporting evidence? Where have they gotten their evidence from?

❌There is a lack of scholarly evidence provided for some Wikipedia entries. It is recommended to find information which the supporting evidence are also from a reliable sources.  

• Purpose: Why is the information published?

❌In academic assignments and works it is recommended to cite primary sources of research, observations, or studies. Wikipedia articles are all written as sources of no original research (Wikipedia, 2020a). This means that all of the statements of ideas presented in these articles have been taken from somewhere else, making the entire article a secondary source.

Okay but can I use Wikipedia?

The use of encyclopedias to provide context, definitions, and related topics is not one that is academically discouraged. The purpose of encyclopedias and other reference works such as dictionaries, handbooks, or manuals are as useful tools to create understanding of a word, phrase, subject, or concept.

This is where Wikipedia comes in. 

Use Wikipedia for:

• Related concepts - If you are doing an assignment to explore a topic (literature reviews, essays, reports) you need to be able to look at related topics. Use Wikipedia as an encyclopedia to explore the related topics around your assignment. 
• Keywords - When forming your search strategy to find academic works you need to know the language and key words that are commonly used. Use the language and related terms from encyclopedias to expand on your search string. 
• Understanding - You can also use Wikipedia for getting a basic overview of your topic. Keep in mind that the article may not be written by an expert. Consider using your textbooks to verify any claims that are found on Wikipedia. 

References

Wikipedia. (2020a, July 29). Wikipedia:No original research. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:No_original_research&oldid=970207668

Wikipedia. (2020b, August 3). Help:Editing. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Help:Editing&oldid=971048657

Wikipedia. (2020c, September 20). Wikipedia:Core content policies. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Core_content_policies&oldid=979332916

Wikipedia. (2020d, September 21). Wikipedia:About. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:About&oldid=979580857

Wikipedia. (2020e, September 22). Wikipedia:Protection policy. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Protection_policy&oldid=979794234