Wikipedia is a continual Internet project that is basically an online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to. Wikipedia is a completely free resource to anyone who has access to the Internet, and contains not only articles but pictures and links to related topics and websites. It is written in collaboration by people all over the world and is currently the largest Internet reference site in existence. It offers information on a massive variety of subjects and it's always being updated and changed to be more inclusive and accurate. The Wikipedia website is easy to find and navigate. Just enter http://www.wikipedia.org/ in the web browser of your choice to get started.

1. WHAT DOES WIKIPEDIA OFFER YOU?

Wikipedia offers a variety of advantages to someone searching for information on the Internet.

There is content that might not be found anywhere else, or rather difficult to find.

The ability to instantly search the entire database for a particular keyword.

Constantly updated and edited articles with links to related materials and interesting information.

Anyone can add information that is missing or edit incorrect information to make the entire project better for everyone else.

It's free to use, and you don't have to sign up to a mailing list to use it.

What are the Disadvantages?

Newer articles are sometimes inaccurate. The people who write the articles for Wikipedia are normal people, not researchers, and are apt to make mistakes

The editing process, while fast, does sometimes leave for the possibility that some info stays incorrect for a small amount of time.

Some articles in general are incomplete since no one has taken the time to write them.

There are some people out there who put up incorrect information on purpose.

2. USING WIKIPEDIA FOR A SEARCH

Before you can really use Wikipedia you need to know what information you want. Based on what you want to know about, you will need to search through Wikipedia's database with a keyword search. For example if you wanted to know about the civil war you would simply type in Civil War but if you wanted to know about how many people were killed during each battle you might only type Civil war death tolls or Civil war battle info.

Once you figure out your search criteria, simply type it into the search bar at the left of the main page and click Search or hit the Enter key. This will display a listing of all articles that are relevant to your search. If you don't find what you're looking for the first time try changing the way you worded the search. If there isn't an article that matches your searching keywords exactly, Wikipedia will list several articles that have something to do with those keywords, where you might find what you are looking for.

3. READING THE ARTICLES

When you make a search in Wikipedia you may find that there are many, few or no articles that are relevant to your search. However, once you find an article that you want to read, there are several things you need to know about the way in which Wikipedia is organized.

The main article page (the first page you see when you click on an article title) displays the overview of the article. This will give you some general information and let you see if the article is well written.

In a box after the overview there is a link table of contents that will allow you to jump around the entire article with ease.

To the left of the article are helpful Wikipedia links to the main page and other user content.

To the right of the article's text there will be related links or photos. Just click a link to follow it or click an image to see the information Wikipedia has on it.

At the end of the article there will be helpful links to navigate Wikipedia and for other resources related to the article. You can click on one of these links to check the accuracy of the Wikipedia article you've just read.

There are also a number of sites related to Wikipedia to aid in your endless search for information. Just like Wikipedia, you may want to check the accuracy of the information provided on these sites:

Wiktionary is an online dictionary and thesaurus

You can find free text books and manuals at Wikibooks

Check out free-content news written by regular people at Wikinews

4. CREATING A WIKIPEDIA ACCOUNT

Wikipedia offers you the option to create a user account in order to chat with other users, edit articles, create your own Wikipedia page, and allow you to contact Wikipedia if you have questions. Here is how you create a Wikipedia account.

1. At the top of the page click the log in or Create Account button

2. Click the Create New Account button directly above the data entry fields for logging in.

3. Enter your preferred username, password, and email.

4. Click the Create button. This will create your user account for Wikipedia. You can now log in any time you'd like to search, edit and create on Wikipedia.

After you've created your account you will be able to access all the members content for the site. There are links on the Wikipedia main page to some of the user pages that you may enjoy viewing.

5. USING WIKIPEDIA TO EDIT AN ARTICLE

If you would like to edit an article you see on Wikipedia it's very simple. Just click the Edit button on the article page, make the changes that you wish to make and click the OK button. Some articles may be unavailable for edit by new users or in some cases by all users. Remember that any changes you make will be viewable by anyone on the web, so use good manners when editing anything. Intentionally putting misinformation or vandalizing the articles will get your account banned from the website and you won't be able to edit any more articles. Wikipedia is edited for vandalism and correctness but in a project like Wikipedia, it is important for the users themselves to help keep the site running well and informing accurately.

Remember, when you create a new article on a subject you will want to research the subject thoroughly to ensure all your information is accurate. Avoid creating content that could be offensive to people, out of politeness, as well as the fact that there is no age limit on who can use Wikipedia. There are young children that search Wikipedia and could be influenced by the information you provide if you're not careful. But knowing these options, you should be able to log on to Wikipedia and use it not only to provide yourself with information, but to help others learn as well.

Resources

Wikipedia website

Wiktionary website

Wikibooks website

Wikinews website