Study skills
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Use Wikipedia as a starting point to find primary and secondary sources, but do not cite the Wikipedia article itself in your academic work.
Wikipedia is a secondary or tertiary source, not a good source itself, but great for finding sources.
- Some teachers do not accept Wikipedia as a source.
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- Use Wikipedia solely for initial orientation, then pursue deeper sources for thorough research.9
- Consult the bibliography at the end of a Wikipedia entry to locate primary materials for your citations, rather than referencing the Wikipedia page itself.6
Verify the credibility, validity, and accessibility of every source found through Wikipedia before using it.
Sources may be dead links, low quality, or in a language you cannot read.
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Read the full text of any source before citing it to ensure accuracy and avoid ethical trouble.
Blindly citing unread sources is unethical and risks inaccuracy.
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Read the cited references yourself to verify they actually support the claims made on the page.
Sources are sometimes incorrect, fabricated, or do not match the information being cited.
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Do not cite encyclopedias in academic papers.
They are tertiary sources that summarize existing data rather than presenting original ideas.
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Focus on finding and citing primary sources over secondary or tertiary sources like encyclopedias.
- Secondary or tertiary sources should only be used in citations if no primary source is available.
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Ask a university librarian for help locating reputable academic journals and sources.
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