Citing is very easy and it is a process that you cannot ignore, because it is the backbone of your research.
It is almost impossible not to access Wikipedia. It is enough that we have something in mind, we write the words in any search engine and boom: the first entry is always that of Wikipedia. It is that "the free encyclopedia" became the main online source of information and that is why you are probably wondering how to cite APA Wikipedia.
And yes, there are several ways to do it, but first let's talk a little about Wikipedia.
How was this website born?
Few would think that Wikipedia lays its foundations in a writing made by an economist and philosopher, but it was. The essay in question of flame “The use of knowledge in society” and it was signed by the Austrian Nobel Laureate in Economics, Friedrich Hayek, in which he established that each individual is only a little of what we know as a whole. Therefore, he establishes that the information is decentralized, with which Jimmy Wales, one of the two minds behind "The free encyclopedia", thought of the idea of creating a large library built by the collective.
Thus, on January 15, 2001, Wikipedia was born, an encyclopedia published in several languages, which is why it is considered a polyglot. Although the Wikimedia Foundation It is administered, it is a collaborative page, that is, practically anyone can contribute to the creation of each entry.
According to the website itself, Wikipedia has more than 56 million articles in 321 languages and it is the portal with the most queries on the entire Internet.
Is it worth citing Wikipedia in a scientific research paper?
The answer is no. Wikipedia is an excellent tool to give you an idea of a specific topic, but it is considered that not rigorous enough enough to serve as a source for a major investigation.
The reason is logical: its principle of collaboration. The fact that anyone can access an entry and has the ability to empty information into it, causes doubts about the seriousness of the articles, since it could be an article written or edited by a "troll" or, even more naturally, by someone without the proper knowledge or academic rigor to write on the subject.
Wikipedia itself speaks of this, asserting that they have been accused of being an encyclopedia full of inconsistencies and systematically biased. They are accused of having articles that show certain political tendencies, of being easily vandalized, with unverified information and written with a gender bias, leaving aside women's vision, themes and work.
It is facts like these that generate that some universities do not accept Wikipedia as a source of information for any kind of research and so the scholars of the It seems like too much information to you, there are plenty of platforms and applications on the web that can make the appointment and the reference for you, that is, including all the data that it asks for. They suggest that you go to the original sources or take sources other than Wikipedia. The encyclopedia can work to give an idea of the situation, but it should not be used as a source.
So, nothing to cite APA Wikipedia?
Well, the truth is that it is recommended that you do not consider Wikipedia as a source of information and, if you do, it is quite likely that your tutor or someone in charge of reviewing your degree work, research article or thesis will refute this source and they ask you to change it.
Despite these warnings, and if you feel that you really should cite a Wikipedia article, we inform you that you can do so and that the APA has its rules in this regard.
To cite a Wikipedia article, you must Do it as if it were an online reference work, with no author or publisher. For this, it is important that you access the permanent link of the article in question because, being a collaborative encyclopedia, its entries are permanently edited, giving rise to whoever reads your information being confused and not finding what you are citing.
So how do you find the permalink of the article? Well, it's very simple: in the left sidebar of the article you will find the entry “permanent link”, right in Tools. Click there and, with that link, subsequent researchers and readers of your work will access exactly the version of the page you are citing.
In that case, the narrative citation will follow the following format:
“Name of the article” (Year of publication)
That is to say:
“Photosynthesis” (2021)
If the citation is in parentheses, then the format is as follows:
(“Name of the article”, Year of publication)
In this sense:
(“Photosynthesis”, 2021)
And the very important references would be made under the following format:
Name of the item. (Date of publication). From Wikipedia. https://permanentlink
That is to say:
Photosynthesis. (May 15, 2021). From Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.word/thisisexampledeenlacepermanente
What if I can't find the permalink?
It is possible that Wikipedia does not allow you to access the permalink of the article, so you will need to include the URL of the specific entry and add a retrieval date.
In that case, a good dating example would be:
Photosynthesis (s.f.)
Oh
(Photosynthesis, s.f.)
And the bibliographical reference would look like this:
Photosynthesis. (s.f.) From Wikipedia. Retrieved May 15, 2021 from https://en.wikipedia.ord/wiki/Photosynthesis
For any Wiki
These indications on how to cite apa wikipedia are not exclusive to “Free Encycopledia”, but work for any Wiki.
You see, these types of collaborative spaces abound on the web, where everyone contributes some information on a specific topic. You will then find wikis on scientific topics, as well as wikis on television series, cinematographic universes, the film industry and everything that may cross your mind.
Always remember to try to access the primary source of the information so that your work is not flagged for poor quality information and, if you really need to cite a Wikipedia article, we suggest that you do so as little as possible.
Please avoid filling your degree work with definitions and quotes taken only from Wikipedia, because whoever reviews your information will not take your writing seriously. He will consider that you have not taken it seriously and that, therefore, your investigation is worthless. Take the time to access good sources of information.