Should students be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source?

Matthew Murchie, 17, St Joseph's College

Wikipedia is 'free' - not in a monetary sense, but rather in the way that it can be freely edited by anyone with access to the internet. This freedom is considered to be both Wikipedia's biggest attribute - and its greatest source of criticism.

On the one hand, this makes it possible for anyone with knowledge in a particular field to improve and amend articles. On the other hand, it leaves the website vulnerable to entries that are biased and inaccurate.

This potential unreliability has led to strong opposition of the use of Wikipedia as a reference in homework. But a 2005 study in the journal, Nature, and reviews over the past few years have found that the accuracy of Wikipedia is surprisingly high - matching even that of Encyclopedia Britannica. Since its articles are constantly reviewed, Wikipedia has proved to be a very up-to-date, highly accurate source of information.

Teachers fear students who use Wikipedia will become lazy because it can be easily accessed.

Yes. Looking up information on Wikipedia is simple, but that is no reason why it should be banned as a source for homework. Wikipedia articles can provide a clear and comprehensive overview of a topic. Students can decide whether its information is good enough to be used.

Considering the accuracy of and easy access to Wikipedia, I believe it should be allowed as a legitimate source of information for students.