Due to numerous scandals in connection with vandalism, the introduction of false data, the unprofessional status of authors, Wikipedia has formed a negative reputation. So it should never be quoted in your works, studies and writings. Otherwise, you risk being considered lazy at best, and an idiot at worst. And yet Wikipedia can be useful.
1. To get background, surface information. Who participated in this or that war, the basic data of the biography of famous personalities, etc. — all this should be taken into account. But the interpretation of facts, positions, statements about the causes of events or phenomena, dates and quotes require rechecking
2. Links. As a rule, at the bottom of the article you can find links to materials on the Web. They often lead to more reputable and respected sources — magazines and newspapers. This data can be very useful.
3. Keywords. When studying a completely unfamiliar topic, reading an article in Wikipedia will help to form some basic conceptual apparatus. Having understood what keywords and terms are used, you can continue your search with the help of familiar search engines.
4. Footnotes. Footnotes (also located at the bottom of the article) are probably the most valuable. They provide data on which magazines and newspapers, books (i.e. offline sources) contain relevant information. Very detailed data is often indicated, down to the page and the publisher. So you can try to find the publication in the library.
The main thing in working with Wikipedia is not to blindly take all the data for the truth. This encyclopedia helps to focus the search, but does not cancel independent work.
4 ways to use Wikipedia (hint: never cite it) [Gearfire]
